Cocaine

 
 

What is Cocaine?

Cocaine is a highly addictive stimulant, a drug that speeds up the body's functions. It comes from leaves of the coca plant. 97% of the world's crop of coca is found in South America. It comes in two forms: powder cocaine (a white powder) and crack (processed into a rock crystal). Street names include: coke, blow, the white, crack, ma'a, rocks, crank, bolo and many more. Cocaine can be snorted, injected, or smoked, and can do serious damage to the body no matter how it is used.

Your Brain on Crack Cocaine

How Does Cocaine Affect the Body?

  • constricted blood vessels and dilated pupils

  • higher body temperature

  • higher blood pressure and faster heartbeat

  • feeling sick to the stomach

  • restlessness

  • decreased appetite and, over time, a loss of weight

  • inability to sleep

  • snorting: hoarse voice, loss of the sense of smell, nosebleeds, and a constant runny nose

  • taken by mouth: reduced blood flow in your intestines, leading to bowel problems

  • needle injection: higher risk of getting HIV, hepatitis C (a liver disease), and other diseases transmitted by blood contact

Did You Know?

  • Cocaine affects the brain almost instantly, and changes the way the brain functions and receives messages and can make a person feel edgy nervous and irritable.

  • Taking large amounts of cocaine can cause paranoia and delusions.

  • Cocaine use can also cause headaches, strokes and seizures.

  • Cocaine can change the rhythm of the heartbeat and cause heart attacks.

  • Cocaine makes the blood vessels get narrower and cause blood pressure to go up.

  • If cocaine is snorted often, it can cause nose bleeds from damaged nasal passages.

  • Heavy cocaine users appear to be malnourished or really skinny because it takes away the feeling of being hungry.

  • The distribution and abuse of cocaine in Hawaii is associated with homicides, assaults and child abuse/neglect cases.

  • In 2018, 4% of all drug related arrest were due to cocaine in the US.

  • In 2018, 859 people ages 15–24 died from a cocaine overdose in the U.S.

  • In 2019, 5.8% of Hawaii High school students have used any form of cocaine at least once in their lifetime.

Sources: https://drugwarfacts.org https://teens.drugabuse.gov   https://nccd.cdc.gov

Taking cocaine alone is a bad idea, but mixing it with alcohol is much worse.

Cocaine and alcohol combined makes cocaethylene, which is more toxic and deadly than those drugs alone. There are more deaths from the combination of cocaine and alcohol than any other pair of drugs.

Infographic

 
 

Additional Information on Cocaine