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Jessica Cervantes
HLTH 1050-002
April 12, 2011
Research Paper
Cocaine
Cocaine is seen as the heavy drug of celebrities, models, and Wall Street traders. It is a
high priced way of getting high. “Movies like “Blow” and books like Killing Pablo
sensationalize the business and use of cocaine” (“Cocaine Use and its Effects”). Cocaine harms
the brain, heart, emotions, blood vessels, and lungs. Many users become addicts, with long-term
and life threatening consequences. Even one time users run the risk of sudden death with cocaine
use. About 14% of U.S. adults have tried cocaine, 1 in 40 adults have used it in the past year
(“Cocaine Use and its Effects”). Young men aged 18-25 are the biggest cocaine users, with 8%
using it in the previous 12 months.
Cocaine is a highly addictive stimulant that directly affects the brain. Cocaine was
labeled as the drug of the 1980s and 1990s because of its popularity during that period. It is also
one of the oldest psychoactive substances. For example, in the early 1900s purified cocaine was
the main ingredient in tonics and elixirs that were developed to treat a variety of illnesses
(NIDA). According to the National Institute On Drug Abuse “Coca leaves, which are the source
of cocaine, have been chewed and ingested for thousands of years and the purified chemical,
cocaine hydrochloride, has been abused for more than 100 years.” Pure cocaine was originally
extracted from the leaf of the Erythroxylon coca bush, which primarily grew in Peru and Bolivia
(NIDA). After the 1990s Columbia became the nation with the largest coca crop. Cocaine is now
a Schedule II drug, meaning that it has a high potential for abuse.
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Cocaine is usually sold on the street as a white, crystalline powder and is also known as
“coke,” “C,” “snow,” “flake,” or “blow.” Street dealers generally dilute it with inert substances
like cornstarch, sugar, talcum powder, or with active drugs like amphetamine or procaine. There
are two chemical forms of cocaine that are abused, the water-soluble hydrochloride salt and the
water-insoluble cocaine base known as freebase. The powdered form of cocaine can be injected
or snorted. “The baseform of cocaine has been processed with ammonia or sodium bicarbonate
and water and then heated to remove the hydrochloride to produce a smokable substance known
as crack cocaine (NIDA).” The National Survey on Drug Use and Health estimates that in 2007
there were 2.1 million current cocaine users of which approximately 610,000 were crack users
(NSDUH).” Adults aged 18-25 years have a higher rate of current cocaine use and overall men
report higher rates of current cocaine use than women (NSDUH).
Cocaine is abused by three commonly routes of administration, which is snorting,
injecting, and smoking. Snorting is when you inhale the cocaine powder through the nose, which
is then absorbed into the bloodstream through the nasal tissues. Injecting is when you use a
needle to insert the drug directly into the bloodstream. Smoking is when you inhale the cocaine
vapor or smoke into the lungs, absorption into the bloodstream is as fast as injecting it. The faster
cocaine is absorbed into the bloodstream and into the brain, the more intense the high. Injecting
or smoking cocaine will produce a stronger and faster high than snorting it. The high from
snorting cocaine may last about 15 to 30 minutes. The high from smoking may last 5 to 10
minutes ("Cocaine - InfoFacts - NIDA").
Whether you snort cocaine smoke it or inject it, cocaine quickly enters the bloodstream
and travels to the brain. Cocaine interferes with the chemical messengers (neurotransmitters).
Cocaine blocks nor-epinephrine, serotonin, dopamine, and other neurotransmitters from being
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reabsorbed.” The resulting chemical buildup between nerves causes euphoria or feeling “high”
(“Cocaine Use and its Effects”). Cocaine users describe euphoric feeling as increased sense of
energy and alertness, an extremely elevated mood, and a feeling of supremacy. Some people also
describe other feelings that tag along with the high like irritability, paranoia, restlessness, and
anxiety. Signs of someone on cocaine include dilated pupils, high levels of energy and activity,
excited speech. Cocaine’s effects wear off anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours. Smoking or
injecting cocaine results in a faster but shorter high.
Cocaine increases the levels of dopamine because it is a strong central nervous stimulant.
Dopamine is a brain chemical (or neurotransmitter) that is associated with pleasure and
movement, in the brain’s reward system. Certain brain cells or neurons use dopamine to
communicate. Cocaine prevents dopamine from being recycled, which causes excessive amounts
of the neurotransmitters to build up, which ultimately disrupts normal communication ("Cocaine
- InfoFacts - NIDA"). This is also what causes euphoric effects. Cocaine can cause long-term
changes in the brain’s reward system and other brain systems, which may lead to addiction.
Cocaine abuse has many effects on the body. For example, cocaine constricts blood
vessels, dilates pupils, increases body temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure. Chronic users
can also become malnourished because cocaine tends to decrease appetite. Regular snorting of
cocaine can lead to loss of the sense of smell, nosebleeds, hoarseness, chronic runny nose, and
problems swallowing. Ingesting cocaine can cause severe bowel gangrene (death of tissue).
Injecting cocaine can cause severe allergic reactions and increase the risk of contracting
HIV/AIDS and other blood-borne diseases. Cocaine abusers can also experience acute
cardiovascular or cerebrovascular emergencies, like heart attacks or strokes. “Cocaine- related
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deaths are often a result of cardiac arrest or seizure followed by respiratory arrest ("Cocaine InfoFacts - NIDA.")”
“Cocaine is responsible for more U.S. emergency room visits than any other illegal drug”
(“Cocaine Use and its Effects”). Cocaine constricts the arteries supplying blood to the heart,
which can result in heart attacks, even in young people. Cocaine can also trigger a deadly
abnormal heart rhythm called arrhythmia. Cocaine can also constrict blood vessels in the brain,
causing strokes, seizures and can lead to violent behavior. Regular use of cocaine can cause nasal
perforation and may cause permanent lung damage for some users. Cocaine also constricts blood
vessels supplying the gut; the resulting oxygen starvation can cause ulcers. Cocaine can cause
sudden, overwhelming kidney failure through a process called rhabdomyolysis. Chronic cocaine
use can impair sexual function in men and women.
When you sniff or puff cocaine you may be taking up to 0.1 to 0.2 grams of cocaine, in
other words 2 to 4 lines. When you take the cocaine orally, it may be around 1.2 grams. When it
is injected, it will be around 750 to 800 mg of fatal dose (“Cocaine Overdose”). It the person
injects about 500mg, it is considered a lethal dose. Cocaine is always dangerous, you never know
how much of cocaine you take in when you inhale/sniff it. Cocaine overdose can have severe
effects which can lead to death of that person. Side effects of cocaine may lead to insane
hallucinations (“Cocaine Overdose”). Sometimes cocaine overdose may lead to malfunctioning
of the heart or respiratory problems, which may lead to death especially when it is injected
through the veins or when it is smoked or sniffed. However such cocaine overdose rarely
happens.
“The study by researchers affiliated with Harvard Medical School found that cocaine
affects men and women differently and that hormonal fluctuations play an important role in
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women’s responses to the drug” (Bowersox). Dr. Scott E. Lukas and his colleagues from the
Alcohol and Drug Abuse Research Center in Belmont, Massachusetts, measured a variety of
responses to cocaine in six male and female volunteers. The volunteers snorted single doses of
cocaine and placebo powder on different days. The women were tested two different times
during their menstrual cycle; the men were just tested once. Dose 1 was given 5-9 days after the
beginning of menstruation. Dose 2 was given 18-22 days after the beginning of menstruation.
Researchers found that both times in the menstrual cycle the women were much less
sensitive to the drug than the men were. The men had more episodes of euphoria (good feelings)
or dysphoria (bad feelings). The men judged the bad feelings to be worse than the women did.
The men also experienced greater heart rate and higher blood pressure and detected cocaine’s
effects sooner than women did. Women also had lower drug levels in their blood than the men,
even though they both received the same dosage. The levels were even lower when they took the
drug during the luteal phase of their menstrual cycle. “Dr. Lukas says that differences in the
speed with which cocaine is metabolized may account for the drug’s different effects in men and
women (Bowersox).” Physical changes that occur during the menstrual cycle also may be why
women have lower sensitivity to snorting cocaine, said Dr. Lukas. The increase in hormone
levels during a women’s menstrual cycle causes women’s mucous membranes to produce more
mucous. Dr. Lukas says that the increased mucous may act as a barrier in the absorption of
cocaine. “Dr. Lukas believes that the gender differences in cocaine’s effect that they observed
were due to a combination of metabolic differences and the barrier to cocaine absorption created
by the increase in mucosity” (Bowersox).
Heavy use of cocaine may cause hallucinations, paranoia, aggression, insomnia, and
depression. Possession of cocaine is a felony offense in Utah and punishment can range from 0
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years to life, in the Utah State Prison (Barnes). “Criminal possession” is the holding of property
that is illegal to possess, like controlled narcotics, stolen goods or liquor by a juvenile (Barnes).
Each state and federal government have laws against the use, manufacture and distribution of
drugs to reduce the use of drugs and reduce drug related crimes by severely punishing reducing
offenders and major drug dealers.
“According to Human Right Watch (HRW), which monitors crime and punishment in the
United States and around the world, the majority of drug offenders in jail are nonviolent men and
women” (Barnes). These offenders are often convicted of low-level drug related offenses and
may spend years in prison (Barnes). One in four imprisoned drug offenders are convicted of only
possessing drugs. Most minimum sentences range from one year in jail to three years in prison
for first-time offenders; and three years to 12 years in prison for second or repeat offenders”
(Barnes).
Over the past 20 years the “war on drugs” has failed to end substance abuse, but has
succeeded in punishing many Americans. The seriousness of and final punishment for drug
crimes depends upon the quantity of the drug, its classification under the schedules, and the
purpose of its possession. Producing, manufacturing and selling illegal drugs are the most serious
drug crimes. In most states, possession of drugs for personal use is a serious crime, but in some
states it is punished less severely. A person convicted of a disorderly person’s offense is usually
not imprisoned, but may be placed on probation or ordered to pay a fine (Barnes). Some states
have enhances penalties for drug crimes if minors are used to sell the drugs, if the drugs are sold
to minors, or if the drugs are sold on school property (Barnes).
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Works Cited Page
Barnes, Keith C. "Utah Criminal Defense Lawyer - Possession of Cocaine." Utah Criminal Defense
Lawyer Keith C. Barnes, Attorney at Law. Web. 06 Mar. 2011.
Bowersox, John A. "Cocaine Affects Men and Women Differently." ARCHIVES - National Institute on
Drug Abuse - The Science of Drug Abuse and Addiction. Feb. 1996. Web. 03 Mar. 2011.
"Cocaine - InfoFacts - NIDA." National Institute On Drug Abuse. Mar. 2010. Web. 25 Feb. 2011.
"Cocaine Overdose." How Long Does Cocaine Stay In Your System. Web. 06 Mar. 2011.
"Cocaine Use and Its Effects." WebMD - Better Information. Better Health. Web. 03 Mar. 2011.
NIDA. Cocaine: Abuse and Addiction National Institute on Drug Abuse. 6 February 2011