

They feel a strong need for cocaine, even when they know it causes them medical, psychological and social problems. People who become addicted to cocaine lose control over their use of the drug. Not everyone who uses cocaine becomes addicted, but if they do, it can be one of the hardest drug habits to break. Some people stay high by “bingeing,” or continually using the drug, for hours or days. When the cocaine high fades, the person may begin to feel anxious and depressed, and have intense craving for more of the drug. Smoking causes a high within seconds, but it lasts only five to 10 minutes.Injecting produces a “rush” that is felt within 30–45 seconds, and lasts 10 to 20 minutes.Intranasal use, or “snorting,” takes effect within a few minutes, and lasts about 15 to 30 minutes. This means they need to take more and more of the drug to get the same desired effect.Īt the same time, people who use the drug regularly may also become more sensitive to its negative effects, such as anxiety, psychosis (hallucinations, loss of contact with reality) and seizures.Ĭocaine also makes the heart beat faster, and raises blood pressure and body temperature. With regular use, people may become tolerant to the euphoric effects of cocaine.
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erratic, bizarre and sometimes violent behaviour.psychotic symptoms, such as paranoia (feeling overly suspicious, jealous or persecuted), hallucinations (seeing, hearing, smelling, etc., things that aren’t real) and delusions (false beliefs).Taking high doses of cocaine for a long time can lead to: Other people may feel nervous and agitated, and can’t relax. Although cocaine is a stimulant, some people find it calming, and feel increased self-control, confidence and ease with others. Hunger and the need for sleep are reduced. They feel more aware of their senses: sound, touch, sight and sexuality seem heightened. whether you’ve taken any alcohol or other drugs (illegal, prescription, over-the-counter or herbal).Ĭocaine makes people feel energetic, talkative, alert and euphoric.whether you have certain medical or psychiatric conditions.how you use it (by injection, orally, etc.).7.1 per cent had used cocaine at least once in their lifetime.1.7 per cent had used cocaine in the past year.Cocaine and heroin, mixed and dissolved for injection, is called a “speedball.”Ī 2009 survey of Ontario students in grades 7 to 12 reported that 2.6 per cent had used cocaine and 1.1 per cent had used crack at least once in the past year.Ī 2007 survey of Ontario adults reported that: These forms, known as “freebase” and “crack,” look like crystals or rocks.Ĭocaine is often used with other drugs, especially alcohol and cannabis. The base form of cocaine can be chemically processed to produce forms of cocaine that can be smoked. It is sometimes “cut,” or mixed, with things that look like it, such as cornstarch or talcum powder, or with other drugs, such as local anesthetics or amphetamines. Criminal networks control the lucrative cocaine trade.Ĭocaine hydrochloride-the form in which cocaine is snorted or injected-is a white crystalline powder. Today, most of the world’s supply of coca is grown and refined into cocaine in Colombia. For at least 4,500 years, people in Peru and Bolivia have chewed coca leaves to lessen hunger and fatigue. Cheaper “crack” cocaine became available in the 1980s.Ĭocaine is extracted from the leaves of the Erythroxylum (coca) bush, which grows on the slopes of the Andes Mountains in South America. The use of cocaine declined until the 1970s, when it became known for its high cost, and for the rich and glamorous people who used it. In 1911, Canada passed laws restricting the importation, manufacture, sale and possession of cocaine. After this, cocaine became widely and legally available in patent medicines and soft drinks.Īs cocaine use increased, people began to discover its dangers. In the 1880s, psychiatrist Sigmund Freud wrote scientific papers that praised cocaine as a treatment for many ailments, including depression and alcohol and opioid addiction. Today, we mostly use synthetic anesthetics, rather than cocaine. Researchers soon discovered that cocaine numbs whatever tissues it touches, leading to its use as a local anesthetic. Pure cocaine was first isolated from the leaves of the coca bush in 1860. Blow, C, coke, crack, flake, freebase, rock, snow What is it?
