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Caroline Boucher

Forensics

12/7/10
 Coke, rock, snow, blow, white, toot, nose candy, base, flake, powder, basa, or smack.

These are some of the many names for the highly addictive drug called cocaine. It is one of the

most commonly used illegal drugs in the United States. The drug that causes extreme alertness,

short lived feelings of well-being and euphoria, increased energy and motor activity, and feelings

of competence.

The history of cocaine goes back thousands of years to South American Natives, where

they would cultivate the coca leaf and chew it. They viewed it as having a divine origin with

mystical, religious, social, nutritional and medical purposes. Traditionally, coca leaves were

chewed only by the leaders or royalty. Over time, however, even lower classes were encouraged

to chew the leaves to experience the benefits while working the fields. Also it helped overcome

hunger and increased the work stamina. (http://www.cocaine.org/)

With the arrival of the Spanish Conquistadors in the mid-1550s, most of the Spanish

ignored aboriginal claims that the leaf gave them strength and energy. They declared the practice

of chewing for everyone was the work of the Devil. The Spanish then tried to outlaw the

chewing of coca leaves but the invaders discovered that without the Natives chewing the leaf

they could barely work the fields or the gold mines. In response, the Catholic Church cultivated

the leaf and distributed it three or four times a day to the workers during brief rest-breaks. When

the Spanish conquistadors returned, they introduced it to Europe in the early 1800s, but it made

no real impact because the leaf travels poorly and lost much of its potency in transit.

(http://drugabuse.gov/drugpages/cocaine.html)

By the 1880s in the United States it was freely prescribed by physicians for such medical

issues such as exhaustion, depression, and even morphine addiction. It was also a common

ingredient in many medicines. After users and physicians began to realize its dangers; various
regulations were enacted, and its use decreased, and by the 1920s, the use of cocaine had been

abated. Another use time period of using the drug began in the United States in the 1970s. It

remained mild until the mid-1980s until violence in crack-infested neighborhoods increased

dramatically. Young people with few other economic opportunities were lured by the possibility

of power and money of being crack dealers. Most carried guns and many were murdered in drug-

related gang wars that ensued. By the late 1990s and into the present day, cocaine is still a huge

drug business averaging $70 billion in annual revenue, and even beating out many large

corporations. (Drugs: Cocaine History)

Cocaine in its purest form is a white, pearly product. It ranges from a crumbly texture,

sometimes extremely oily, to a hard, almost crystalline structure. Cocaine appearing in powder

form is a salt, typically cocaine hydrochloride . Street market cocaine is frequently adulterated or

³cut´ with various powdery fillers to increase its weight; the substance most commonly used in

this process is baking soda. Cocaine may also be "cut" with other stimulants such as

methamphetamine.

Cocaine is a powerful nervous system stimulant that causes psychological dependency.

Its effects can last from anywhere fifteen minutes to an hour, depending upon the method of

ingestion. Cocaine increases alertness, feelings of well-being and euphoria, energy and motor

activity, feelings of competence and sexuality. Athletic performance may be enhanced in sports

where sustained attention and endurance is required. Anxiety, paranoia and restlessness are also

frequent. However excessive dosage, tremors, convulsions and increased body temperature are

observed. Three routes of administration are commonly used for cocaine: snorting, injecting, and

smoking. The faster cocaine is absorbed into the bloodstream and delivered to the brain, the

more intense the high. Injecting or smoking cocaine produces a quicker, stronger high than
snorting. On the other hand, faster absorption usually means shorter duration of effects: the high

from snorting cocaine may last 15 to 30 minutes, whereas the high from smoking may last only 5

to 10 minutes. In order to sustain the high, a cocaine user has to take the drug again. For this

reason, cocaine is sometimes abused in binges²taken repeatedly within a relatively short period

of time, at increasingly higher doses. After taking cocaine on a regular basis, the user will almost

inevitably become addicted. (Emedicine)

When the drug is discontinued immediately, the user will experience what has come to be

known as a "crash" along with a number of other cocaine withdrawal symptoms,

including paranoia, depression, exhaustion, anxiety, itching, mood swings, irritability,

fatigue, insomnia, and an intense craving for more cocaine. These symptoms can last for weeks

or, in some cases, months. Even after most withdrawal symptoms dissipate most users feel the

need to continue using the drug; this feeling can last for years. About 30-40% of cocaine addicts

will turn to other substances such as medication and alcohol after giving up cocaine. (Emedicine)

In the United States, cocaine is classified as a Schedule II drug. This means the drug has

a high potential for abuse. The drug is currently accepted medical use in some treatment in the

United States with severe restrictions in place for the user. Abuse of the drug may lead to severe

psychological or physical dependence. (Drug Scheduling )

In a conclusion, cocaine has a long history of being used for many purposes all around

the world. It can be very dangerous both physically and psychologically, but it is up to each

individual to say no when offered it, for it can cause so many troubles for you and even affect

your relationship with your friends and family.

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