 Cocaine |
Also referred to as:
"coke", "snow", "flake", "nose candy", "white lady", "Bolivian rock", "toot", "blow", and "Mother of Pearl".
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| » Source |
Leaves of the coca plant.
Cocaine hydrochloride (cocaine HCL, the hydrochloride salt of cocaine) is produced from the leaves of the coca plant. Prime cocaine is usually 70-85% pure, while street cocaine is usually less than 25% pure.
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| » Appearance |
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Fine white powder Street cocaine tends to become sticky and form clumps.
It has a bitter state and acts as a topical anesthetic if applied to the oral mucous membrane for an extended period of time.
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| » Modes of use |
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Cocaine is usually taken in by sniffing or "snorting" through the nose, or by intravenous injection. The user achieves his "high" after 15 to 60 minutes. Lately, users are injecting cocaine in the form of "cocktails" made of cocaine and heroin. This method is becoming more popular, because the user achieves his "high" much sooner than through inhalation by nose.
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| » Indications of Cocaine Abuse |
- Cut-off drinking straws
- Miniature spoon for measuring a single dose
- Pocket mirror
- Razor blades (to break up larger clumps of cocaine or cocaine paste, and to form a "line" on the mirror or a glass plate)
- Small envelopes made of paper, cellophane, or metal foil folded in the shape of a star or fit in a pocket Snuff
- Commercial cans, which are then filled with a mixture of snuff (menthol-enhanced stuff) and cocaine.
- Special scales (bullion balances) made of plastic
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| » General Effects of Cocaine Drugs |
Emotional:
- Ability to handle higher levels of stress
- Euphoria
- Heightened awareness
- Hyperactivity
- Increased psychic energy
- Increased self confidence
- Sexual stimulation.
- Short-term increase in performance
Physical:
- Dilated pupils.
- Elevated body temperature
- Increased blood pressure
- Increased heart rate
- Rapid breathing
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| » Side effects of chronic consumption of cocaine drugs |
- Sleeplessness
- Irritability
- Depression
- Chronic fatigue
- Inability to concentrate
- Relationship problems
- Paranoia
- Headaches
- Nosebleeds
- Decreased ability to perform work.
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| » The Cocaine "High" |
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The cocaine "high" is unpredictable, since it differs depending on the user`s psychological constitution and personality. At times it is marked by fear and panic. However, the typical cocaine "high" is basically comprised of the following three phases: |
- The euphoric stage
The user feels a surge of euphoric feelings, among them: courage, reduced inhibitions, greater willingness to take risks, greater sense of personal worth, increased energy, accelerated thought processes, sexual stimulation, and closeness.
- The intoxication stage
The user begins to feel the "down"—he feels alarm and negativity towards his environment, paranoia, fluctuation in perception, and feelings of persecution and hallucinations.
- The depressive stage
The user finally feels lack of energy, fatigue, exhaustion, irritability, depression, and the urge to use more cocaine.
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| » Dangers of Cocaine Abuse |
Cocaine is highly addictive. Beginners start by taking a few milligrams of cocaine, but since cocaine-induced euphoria is short-lived – less than 45 minutes – they rapidly increase their doses to up to 15 mg (and even 30 mg) per day. Users rapidly become serial consumers of the drug and may take multiple doses throughout the day in up to 10-minute intervals. Although excessive abuse of cocaine is characterized by periods of 12 hours on average, seriously addicted individuals have been known to consume cocaine for weeks on end.
A dose of 1.0-1.2 grams can kill.
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| » Indications of long-term Cocaine Abuse |
- Anxiety
- Destruction of the nasal membrane (if inhaled).
- Heightened irritability
- Nausea
- Paranoia
- Psychoses
- Restlessness
- Sleeplessness
- Weight loss
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| Crack and "Freebase" |
| Also referred to as: "ice" or "rock" |
| » Appearance |
Small, beige rocks.
The drug usually appears as beige tablets about 2 cm in diameter, which are smooth on one side and have a notch on the other side. These tablets are not taken orally but are crushed and smoked. |
| » Modes of use |
| Crack and freebase are smoked rolled in a cigarette (a "joint") or in a pipe, or inhaled from a heated piece of aluminum foil. These forms of cocaine are particularly addictive since they achieve a "high" for their users very quickly. Those who smoke the drug consume more than those whose inhale it. |
| » Indications of Crack Abuse |
- Hand-rolled cigarettes ("joints")
- Thick pieces of metal foil or tin for burning the crack.
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