25 Facts About Cocaine That You Probably Didn’t Know
Illegal drugs do not benefit anyone and that’s a plain fact that can’t be debated. They have been one of the greatest menaces to societies a...
Illegal drugs do not benefit anyone and that’s a plain fact that can’t be debated. They have been one of the greatest menaces to societies around the world for the past fifty years, with countless people—especially young adults—losing their lives annually due to overdosing and drug abuse. The worst part is that drugs can not only kill you, but also alter and destroy your personality in the process as they change the chemical state of your body and mind. In many instances they also make you do things you normally wouldn’t if you were clean and sober.
One of the most addictive and catastrophic drugs out there is cocaine. Known as the “caviar of street drugs,” it has become the drug of choice of celebrities, fashion models, and even sportsmen. In many cases, athletes who violate anti-doping controls have been caught using cocaine as a stimulant. But what makes this drug so addictive, dangerous, and at the same time luxurious and glamorous? The 25 Facts About Cocaine That You Probably Didn’t Know that follow will hopefully enlighten you as to why you should stay away (at all costs) from cocaine and any other harmful drug.
Cocaine is extracted from the leaves of the Erythroxylon coca bush, which is indigenous to the Andes of South America.
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Cocaine is the most powerful central nervous stimulant found in nature. Its physical effects include constricted blood vessels and increased temperature, heart rate, and blood flow. Those who use it experience greater alertness, energy, self-confidence, and even power after taking it.
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Currently cocaine comes in two main forms: powder and crystal. The crystal rock form, known as crack or freebase, has not been neutralized by an acid.
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Crack cocaine appeared in the mid-’80's and became an instant “hit” among the poor and young, thanks to its relatively inexpensive street price and quick euphoric effects.
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The average street price for a gram of pure cocaine in the States is between $80 and $100. The average price for a rock of crack cocaine is $10 to $25.
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Cocaine can be snorted, injected into the bloodstream, or smoked. The powder form is generally snorted or mixed with water and injected, while crack is most commonly smoked.
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Cocaine is extremely addictive, and frequent users generally require an ever-increasing number of hits to get the same high. When the drug is smoked in the form of crack, addiction tends to develop more quickly.
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Cocaine produces euphoria by activating the nerve cells in the brain that release dopamine, a chemical associated with pleasure and alertness. The drug then prevents neural transporters from “cleaning up” the dopamine and storing it for a later time.
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Cocaine is the second most commonly used illegal drug in the United States after marijuana. However, cocaine causes three times more deaths than any other illegal drug.
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Coca leaves, the source of pure cocaine, have been chewed and ingested for thousands of years for their euphoric effect. The Inca were the first to use the leaves; they believed the coca plant was a gift from the gods.
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Pure cocaine was first extracted from coca plant leaves in 1859 and was marketed in a fortified wine in France as early as 1863.
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Substance abuse and addictions are common amongst celebrities. Check out 25 Celebrities Who Have Struggled With And Overcome Substance Abuse.
Cocaine was first used in the U.S. in the 1880's, where it was used as an anesthetic during eye, nose, and throat surgeries. It became obsolete once other drugs were identified as safer anesthetics.
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In 1884, William Stewart Halsted, a famous American physician, performed the first surgery using cocaine as an anesthetic. Halsted later became the first cocaine-addicted doctor on record.
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Worldwide, cocaine use has been reported in more than two-thirds of all countries. The U.S. has the highest incidence of cocaine abuse, with New Zealand, Mexico, and Colombia right behind it. The lowest rates of cocaine use are found in Asia.
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Cocaine hydrochloride, the purified chemical from the coca plant, was the main active ingredient in several tonics and elixirs produced for a variety of illnesses in the early twentieth century. One product, Tucker’s Asthma Specific, contained 420 milligrams of cocaine per ounce.
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Cocaine users are more prone to being antisocial, depressed, anxious, and using multiple substances than the general population. These traits are also more common among their immediate family.
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Approximately a third of cocaine deaths are caused by its pharmacological effects. The vast majority of cocaine-related deaths are caused by homicide, suicide, and motor vehicle accidents as a result of its mind-altering properties.
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Men tend to feel the effects of cocaine faster than women and report more episodes of euphoria and dysphoria (intense bad feelings) than women do.
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Babies born to mothers who used cocaine during pregnancy tend to be premature, have low birth weights, and suffer from brain damage. Unfortunately, more than four hundred thousand babies are born addicted to cocaine each year in the United States.
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In 2008, nearly fifty thousand kilos of cocaine were seized in America during drug arrests. The wholesale street value of this amount was approximately $1.5 billion.
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Cocaine is nearly always diluted by dealers in order to increase the overall quantity and maximize profits. Common additives include lactose, lidocaine, cornstarch, talcum powder, and sugar.
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Sigmund Freud was one of the more famous proponents of cocaine. After trying the drug in 1884, he recommended it as a treatment for depression, alcoholism, and morphine addiction.
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The famous detective Sherlock Holmes was addicted to cocaine. Conan Doyle often describes him as indulging in it whenever there was a lack of stimulating cases to fire his mind.
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Coca-Cola originally had an estimated nine milligrams of cocaine per serving, which, combined with the caffeine in the soda, created its stimulating effects. Although cocaine was removed from the drink in 1903, a cocaine-free version of the coca leaf is still used as a flavor additive.
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Trace amounts of cocaine can be found on four out of every five dollar bills in circulation. However, because cocaine is a fine powder and easily spreadable, presence of the drug does not necessarily mean the bill was used to snort it.
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