Cocaine

Introduction Cocaine is a powerfully addictive stimulant drug made from the leaves of the coca plant, native to South America. It produces short-term euphoria, energy, and talkativeness in addition to potentially dangerous physical effects like raising the heart rate and blood pressure. Pure cocaine was originally extracted from the leaf of the Erythroxylon coca bush, which primarily grew in Peru, Bolivia and Columbia. (NIDA). Cocaine is abused by three commonly routes of administration, which is snorting, injecting, and smoking.

Forms

Effects On the Brain 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) and blocks nor-epinephrine, serotonin, dopamine, and other neurotransmitters from being reabsorbed.

Effects on the brain continued Cocaine generally enhances the activity of the dopamine in the brain. With repeated use, cocaine can cause long-term changes in the brain’s reward system as well as other brain systems, which may lead to addiction. Also with repeated use cocaine can become more tolerable.

Acute Effects Increased sense of energy and alertness An extremely elevated mood Feelings of supremacy Dilated pupils Increased heart rate/blood pressure Increased body temperature Constricts blood vessels

Chronic Effects Malnourished due to decreased 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 increased risk of HIV/AIDS

Cocaine abusers report that they seek but fail to achieve as much pleasure as they did from their first exposure to cocaine. This is why most stick to the drug an end up addicted. Robert Downey jr.

Who Does Cocaine? Anybody

Other Effects Regular use of cocaine can cause nasal perforation and may cause permanent lung damage for some users. Can constrict blood vessels in the brain, causing strokes, seizures and can lead to violent behavior. Cocaine can also trigger a deadly abnormal heart rhythm called arrhythmia.

Cocaine Intake When you sniff or puff cocaine you may be taking up to 0.1 to 0.2 grams of cocaine or 2 to 4 lines. Orally, it may be around 1.2 grams. Injected, it will be around 750 to 800 mg.

High Priced Way of Getting “High” Cocaine prices vary depending on its purity, the amount you are buying, where you are buying, and with whom you are dealing with. Generally, a kilo of cocaine costs anywhere from $12,000 to $35,000. Dealers normally dilute it & sell it at a much higher price, normally from $20 to a high of $100 a gram. Crack varies from $3 to $50 a piece. In Columbia cocaine is $2 a gram.

Penalties For Cocaine Possession Possession of cocaine is a felony offense in Utah and punishment can range from 0 years to life, in the Utah State Prison (Barnes). 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).

How drug dealers sell cocaine

Facts “Cocaine is responsible for more U.S. emergency room visits than any other illegal drug (“Cocaine Use and its Effects”).” 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).

Facts Continued In the US alone cocaine is smoked and snorted by 1.9 million Americans. 360,000 of these abusers are crack addicts. There is over 1,000 tons of cocaine produced each year. Over 51 billion dollars worth of cocaine floods into the US every year. In the world today there are over 20 millions users of cocaine and the majority of them snort it those who use the powder form of cocaine don’t hallucinate.

Why people do cocaine For the rush To feel happiness To lose weight To feel like superman

Legalizing Cocaine in Mexico Pros: Could help the economy Slow down smuggling Cons: Worsen the drug trade Expose children to it

Smuggling cocaine As of the year 2013 Columbia is the number one producer of cocaine. Columbians have even created submarine called a Narco. It is used to smuggle large quantities of cocaine to far distances such as Europe. These Narco submarines can cost up to 2 million dollars and take upward of a year to build. Also these Narco submarines can hold up to over 400 million dollars of street value cocaine. These submarines are typically only built and used for one time use because of the delivery process and risk. After the arrest of Harold Poveda a key Mexican Columbian link in May of 2010 the watch for these Narco submarines has been more proficient and helped out the stopping of more water trafficking across the world.

Works Cited Page "Cocaine | National Geographic Channel." National Geographic Channel. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Sept. 2014.<http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/drugs-inc/videos/cocain "DrugFacts: Cocaine." National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). N.p., n.d. Web. 0 Feb. 2013. <http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/cocaine>. Levinthal, Charles F. Drugs, Behavior, and Modern Society. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2002. Print. 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. "How Much Does a Gram of Cocaine Cost on the Street?" Sethson.com - an Article Blog about Almost Everything. Web. 03 Apr. 2011. NIDA. Cocaine: Abuse and Addiction National Institute on Drug Abuse. 6 February 2011