Cocaine The Perfect High – How To Fed Up A Drug Lord

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COCAINE: An Unauthorized BiographyColumnsMode; The Rush to Cash in on Health-Care Reform

The drug caused the death of a promising young athlete. Three men served time in prison for it, including Original Essay from Robb Wolf: Understanding the Pharmacology, History and Profound Dangers of a Powerful StimulantPOCHETTIN › who coached perhaps the most successful homegrown college football team ever.

Introduction: Beyond the Myths

Cocaine is an emblem of sorts for the gloriously outlaw, with a lineage that leads directly to romantic suffering and decadence and destruction on both individual and societal levels. To comprehend cocaine is to plumb a rich tale that winds from botany to history, alongside forays into neurochemistry and public health. This article is intended to present a purely educational, scientifically grounded portrait of cocaine, sorting facts from fiction and focusing on the extreme hazards posed by its use. We are not out to titillate or provide crash courses in how to take the drug — we aim instead to educate and protect by bringing forth straightforward, science-based information of what cocaine is, how it affects the body and mind and why abuse can be so dangerous.

Section 1: What is Cocaine? Botanical Origins and Chemical Reality

Headline: From Coca Leaf to Cocaine in Only Four Steps (on Average)

Cocaine Cocaine is a natural stimulant found in the leaves of the Erythroxylum coca plant, which grows mainly in South America. For millennia, indigenous Andeans have chewed the leaves of the coca plant or mashed them into a pulp for mild stimulation, akin to drinking six cups of coffee, to ward off hunger and fatigue. This practice is performed with the raw leaf where the concentration of cocaine alkaloid is low and mixed with other plant substances.

The drug, that we know as “cocaine” is the concentrated crystaline hydrochloride salt of the cocaine alkaloid. This white crystalline powder is manufactured in a multi-step chemical extraction process, where solvents such as gasoline, kerosene and sulfuric acid are used. In doing so, it turns a plant with cultural importance into an extremely refined and powerful central nervous system stimulant that poses a serious threat of abuse and addiction.

What does cocaine look like? Cocaine hydrochloride, of a pharmaceutical grade is and it is a powdery white substance. But the street cocaine that circulates outside of illicit drug networks is almost always “stepped on” or adulterated with other white powders in order to maximize dealer profits. Typical adulterants are local anesthetics (like lidocaine or benzocaine), stimulants (such as amphetamines), binding agents (for example, inositol) and dangerously internal ones, like talcum powder or laundry detergent; of late, there's been talk of fentanyl in cocaine with the usual dramatic increases in OD risk.

What does cocaine smell like? Coke as a drug Pure cocaine has a smell similar to ether, and its taste is numbing. Some people say it smells floral or sweet; others get a whiff of something metallic or solventlike — a reminder, however faint, that the stuff in this baggie was once cooked with volatile chemicals on someones stovetop. The order can be disguised by other drugs.

A Caveat: The illegal drug market is unregulated and dangerous. There is no such thing as “safe” illegal cocaine: Getting or using it can result in perceived pleasure but then rapidly lead to trouble. What is marketed as cocaine may contain unknown, dangerous substances. The sole legitimate medical use of cocaine is occasionally used as a topical anesthetic for some procedures in the ear, nose, and throat by health care providers trained to administer it.

Part 2 A Short History: From Medicine to Menace

Headline: When Was Cocaine Invented? A Timeline of a Troubled Drug

The purification of the cocaine alkaloid is attributed to German chemist Albert Niemann who isolated it in 1860. Its powerful properties were quickly taken notice of by the medical world.

Cocaine as “The Miracle Drug”: late 19th / early 20th Century. It was an ingredient in tonics, elixirs and original recipes for Coca-Cola. That it might cure depression and resolve morphine addiction was famously championed by Sigmund Freud. It was commonly used as a general anaesthetic in surgery. But its addictive power and hazards were soon evident.

1914 – The Start of Control: Growing epidemics of addiction and related problems led to the US Harrison Narcotics Tax Act, which greatly limited the distribution of cocaine and opium in legal commerce. This was its move from household item to controlled substance.

1970s-80s – The Era of The Abuse: By the latter half of the 70's, cocaine would resurface as a pastime for high society excess only to later explode in its cheaper smokeable form rolled out in mid to late '80 “crack” cocaine. The result was a public health crisis that decimated communities and was met with harsh mandatory minimum judgment laws.

Today: Cocaine is still a Schedule II drug under the US Controlled Substances Act and for medical purposes has some restrictions placed upon it, meaning that it has a high potential for abuse but limited, severely restricted accepted medical use. It is a controlled substance everywhere in the world.

Section 3 How Cocaine Works The Neurochemical Rollercoaster

Title: Co-Opting the Reward System: How Cocaine Exploits the Brain

Its main mechanism of action is to prevent the reabsorption (reuptake) of three important neurotransmitters in the brain's reward circuit, dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin.

Rush of Dopamine: Cocaine's surge of dopamine keeps it from being reabsorbed, leaving an excessive amount of the feel-good chemical in the connections between your brain cells. This is what leads to the notorious surge of euphoria, intense belief in themselves (with boosted confidence), accelerated energy and changes in alertness.

Elevation of Norepinephrine: This is what causes the physical effects from stimulants – increased heart rate, high blood pressure, dilated pupils and heightened alertness.

Serotonin Effect: Helps cause the early high and later letdown involving state depression that we all know.

It is this chemical hijacking of the reward system that is what makes cocaine so reinforcing, and addictive. The brain, confronted with this unnatural signal, starts to adjust. Over time, it generates less dopamine itself and is less sensitive to the dopamine receptors. That results in tolerance (needing more of the drug to get the same effect), and addiction, defined as excessive drug use despite negative consequences.

Methods of Use, Duration and Immediate Effects

Headline: How Much Cocaine Is Too Much? Methods and Their Dangerous Implications

The mode of use significantly changes the strength, onset and duration of the effects of cocaine as well as the risks associated.

1) Snorting (Insufflation) The most prevalent way. Cocaine in powder form is sniffed into the nasal mucosa.

Onset time: 1-3 minutes.

Length: 15-30 minutes of being high.

Risks: Damage to the nasal septum, chronic sinusitis, loss of smell and difficulty swallowing.

Smoking (Crack or Freebase): Cocaine is manufactured as a white crystalline powder which can be “cooked” into a hard, rock crystal which is then crushed and smoked.

Onset: 5-10 seconds. It brings about a very intense high, although the high is extremely short in nature.

Duration: 5-10 minutes.

Risks: Extremely high risk of immediate and heavy dependence, lung damage, burns, such extreme cardiovascular stress.

Intravenous Injection:

Onset: 15-30 seconds. Intensity is similar to smoking.

Duration: 10-20 minutes.

Dangers: High risk of overdose, vein collapse, bacterial infections (injection of the bacteria through and including necrotizing fasciitis), and endocarditis, as well as blood-borne disease transmission.

Oral/On the gums: Much less common. The waves are delayed and scarce.

“Liquid Cocaine”: A misleading term. It can refer to:

An injection of cocaine dissolved in water (a “liquid cocaine shot”).

A strong cocktail of drugs, mixed sometimes in a club atmosphere.

(2) Street name for a few of some very strong drugs that will wire you up.

Holy mother of staph!Do you know what this means?Injecting any substance prepared in a non-sterile environment is like giving a damn blow job to the grim reaper.

Eyes Of Cocaine: One Other Good reason… one physical give-away is very large pupils (mydriasis). Cocaine effects the sympathetic nervous system, and pupils are enormously dilated, even when there is bright light. Eyes also tend to be itchy, red or have a glossy look about them.

Section 5: How Long Will Cocaine Stay in My System? Detection Windows

Title: The Physiology of Ejection - Cocaine Metabolism and Analysis

This information is important in the context of prolonged drug exposure, such as in medical and forensic settings. The primary metabolite screened is benzoylecgonine.

In Blood: Cocaine has a very short half-life, 0.5 – 1.5 hours itself. It has a detection time for up to 12-24 hours after use.

Saliva: Can be noticed from 24 to 48 hours after the last use.

How Long Does Cocaine Last in Urine? This is the most common test. Benzoylecgonine is traceable in the urine for:

Occasional Use: 2-4 days

Chronic Heavy Use: 14+ days

Cocaine Hair metabolites may be deposited into the hair follicle and are detectable for months to years with a history of use available.

Key Factors: Your metabolism, body mass, hydration, your diet the amount consumed and over what period of time you consumed the substance.

Chapter 6: The Fatal R Is There a Cocaine Overdose and What Happens?

Headline: The Line Between Life and Death: Cocaine Overdose And Toxicity Explained