1. COCAINE BY ARIN MERRILL

2. THE HISTORY OF COCAINE  Cocaine is one of the two major psychoactive stimulants  Oldest, most potent drug  Cocaine is derived from coca leaves, grown in the Peruvian and Bolivian Andes in South America  Chewing coca leaves which have 2% of cocaine  During the last half of the 19 th century, several medicines and beverages were sold that contained cocaine such as coca cola

4. FORMS OF COCAINE  Powdered cocaine: commonly known as “coke” or “blow” dissolves in water, can be snorted or injected  Crack cocaine: commonly known as “crack” or “rock” made by a chemical process that leaves it in its freebase form so it can be smoked  Freebase: cocaine hydrochloride- dissolve drug in water, mix it with baking soda until the water evaporates and boils off

5. STREET NAMES FOR COCAINE  Snow  Flake  Binge  Blow  Dust  Charli  Nose candy  Bernice

6. ADMINISTRATION OF COCAINE  Snorted (Sniffed): Damage to nasal mucous membrane causing bloody nose, runny nose, or stuffy nose, less intense high but lasts longer 15-30 minutes,  Injected: Increase risk of HIV due to sharing needles, intense effect/ “rush”, felt within seconds, only lasts 5-10 minutes  Smoked : Intense effect, “rush”, felt within seconds, only lasts 5-10 minutes

8. HOW COCAINE WORKS IN THE BRAIN  Cocaine enhances the activity of the dopamine in the brain  Cocaine travels to the region of the brain that controls pleasure  Cocaine blocks the reuptake process in the synapse  Structure of dopamine does not resemble the structure of dopamine  Chronic use of cocaine leads to loss of about 20% of the dopamine receptors causing a tendency toward a decline in the experience of pleasure

9. PRESENT-DAY COCAINE ABUSE  Peak of cocaine use in 1986  1.9 million users in the past year  Amount of users has decreased over the years

10. ACUTE EFFECTS OF COCAINE  Drastic mood changes, burst of energy  Irritably, despondent, depressed  Powerful craving  Increased sexual arousal  Heart rate and respiration increases  Appetite diminishes  Blood vessels constrict, pupil dilate, BP rises  Sweaty and pale

11. CHRONIC EFFECCTS OF COCAINE  Tolerance levels increase, making the dosage needed to get the same high increase as well  Irritable, depressed, paranoid  Disturbing hallucinatory experiences  “Cocaine bugs” may be so severe, user may scratch open sores or even attempt to dig out “bugs” with knives  Continuous runny, bloody, or stuffy nose. Septum in nose may even cause lesion  Loss of appetite causing malnourishment

12. BEFORE AND AFTER

13. LIKELY USERS OF COCAINE  About 14% of US adults have tried cocaine  One in 40 adults have used in the past year  Young men 18 to 25 are the biggest cocaine users  8% using in the past 12 months

14. COCAINE REHABILITAION CENTERS  First phase is detoxification and total abstinence  The cocaine abuser aims to achieve total withdrawal  Within the first 24-48 ours of coming off of cocaine, user will experience profound depression, severe headaches, irritability, and difficulty sleeping  Most treatments are out patient programs

15. MIXING ALCOHOL AND COCAINE  The combination of cocaine and alcohol greatly increases the risk of death  When ingested together, produces a metabolite called Cocaethylene causing cocaine to stay in the blood stream longer  The combination of cocaine and alcohol causes a stronger, longer feeling of euphoria  Abnormal heart rhythms, labored breathing, increased blood pressure

16. MEDICAL USE OF COCAINE  Only acceptable medical use would be to use cocaine as a medical anesthetic  When applied topically on the skin, cocaine can block the transmission of nerve impulses, deadening all sensations from the area.  Only legitimate use for medical cocaine is to numb the nasal cavity or throat after surgery  Downfall of using cocaine for medical purposes is that the cocaine could be absorbed in the bloodstream  Other topical anesthetics are preferred

17. CRACK BABIES  Health officials focus on women who have been crack abusers and are pregnant  Children may experience long-term mental and physical deficits  Lower birth weights and smaller head circumferences  Displace tremors, excessive crying, disturbed sleep patterns, and lowered responsiveness

19. COCAINE CARTELS  There are many cartels throughout the southern America  Columbia, Bolivia, Peru, Mexico  As the distance the drug travels is increased, the value increases as well  As the US restricted drugs crossing the border, the Mexican drug cartels increased the amount of drugs they were smuggling in

20. VIDEOS https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMQBOTLfp08 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsqVceV1bL0