• Coca leaves where used by natives of South America for special occasions and religious events long ago.

• First hand accounts of coca use made their way back to Europe. Amerigo Vespucci (1505),

• Cocaine is a drug extracted from the leaves of the coca plant that grows in Peru, Bolivia, and other South American countries.

• Cocaine was first synthesized in 1855. It was not until 1880, however, that its effects were recognized by the medical world.

• Cocaine also began to be used as an active ingredient in a variety of "cure all" tonics and beverages.

• In 1903 Coca Cola removed cocaine from its beverage and replaced it with caffeine

• The country's legislators took notice, and in 1920 cocaine was added to the list of narcotics to be outlawed by the passing of The Dangerous Drug Act of 1920. (1914 Cocaine banned in U.S.)

• Since 1920 the use of the drug has been prohibited, both in patent medicines and for recreational use, and its use went underground.

Classification

• Central Nervous System STIMULANT.

• Tolerance- Yes/HIGH

• Physical Dependence- Yes/HIGH

• Psychological

Dependence- Yes/HIGH

Slang Names

• Coke

• Snow

• Blow

• Nose candy

• Toot

• Flake

Appearance

• White crystalline powder.

• Often cut (other material added) or diluted with other substances such as sugar.

How abused

• Usually sniffed or snorted (inhaled into the nose and absorbed into the mucus membrane of the sinuses).

• Injected

• Smoked (Freebase or “CRACK”

Effects

• Brief but intense feeling of euphoria.

• Increase of heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature and respiratory rate.

• Dilated pupils.

• Sleeplessness

• Excitability

• Anxiety

• Fatigue

Dangers

• Damage and bleeding of nasal passages.

• Paranoid

• Psychosis

• Hallucinations

• Impaired driving

• Heart and respiratory failure

• Injuries due to fire (freebase)

• Hepatitis

• Infection

• Some doctors think that each and every time a person uses cocaine they cause damage to their heart.

• Nationwide, wholesale cocaine prices ranged from $12,000 to $35,000 per kilogram.

Other forms of Cocaine

Crack

• Crack is a form of cocaine that has been chemically altered so that it can be smoked.

• Crack is more potent and lethal than cocaine and is one of the most addictive drugs around.

• Crack is the chemical base of cocaine.

• Crack is white or tan and looks like small lumps or shavings of soap but has the texture of porcelain.

Crack nicknames

• Rock

• Readyrock

• French fries

• Teeth

• Smoking crack produces a short but intense high.

• The brain is affected in less than 10 seconds.

• Crack cocaine is 10 times stronger effect than regular cocaine.

• Rocks can sell for as low as $3 to as high as $50, but prices generally range from $10 to $20.

Freebase Cocaine

• Freebase is a process used for smoking cocaine.

• Cocaine is dissolved with ether and baking soda which separates the active drug from its salt base.

• Fire is a high risk with smoking freebase. WHY?

• Effect lasts about 10 minutes.

• Very addictive

• Smokers often binge smoke for two or three days.

• Q.) What is the street price of crack?• A.) Typically, cocaine HCl is converted into

crack cocaine, or “rock,” within the United States by the secondary wholesaler or retailer. Crack cocaine is often packaged in vials, glassine bags, and film canisters. The size of a crack rock can vary, but generally ranges from 1/10 to 1/2 gram. Rocks can sell for as low as $3 to as high as $50, but prices generally range from $10 to $20.

• The Street Price of Crack Cocaine • $40 - 1/4 gram (larger "rock") • $10-$25 - 1/10 gram (smaller "rock") • Note: Prices vary according to purity,

quantity, place of origin and sale, and numerous market trends.

• Colombia exports 90 percent of the world’s cocaine and is a growing heroin supplier.

The End