Cocaine
Chemical Name: 2-beta-carbomethoxyl-3-beta-benoxytropane
Category: Schedule II
Street Names: Coke, snow, lady, blow, crack, flake, freebase, rock, “C”, smoke, nose candy.
Usage: Snorted, smoked, injected
Description:
White crystalline powder, flake, or rock. Central nervous system stimulant. Cocaine is an alkaloid refined from the leaves of Erythroxylum coca, which grows in the highlands of South America
Immediate effects:
Euphoria, hyperactivity, agitation. Feelings of hyper alertness, of being in command, self-confident. Dilates pupils, increases heart and breathing rate, constricts blood vessels. Elevates heart rate, respiratory rate, and body temperature.
Long-term effects:
Highly addictive potential. Loss of appetite, insomnia, nose infections and destruction of nose tissue, weight loss, poor concentration, paranoia, seizures, immune suppression, anxiety, depression. Injecting can lead to AIDS, hepatitis. Cocaine use during pregnancy can cause miscarriage, premature birth, and irritable and unresponsive infants.
Overdose:
Hallucinations, loss of consciousness, convulsions and death
Withdrawal:
Apathy, irritability, depression, lethargy, disorientation, paranoia, insomnia, intense craving
Signs & Symptoms:
Tremor, runny nose, dramatic mood swings, dilated pupils, and irritability
Did You Know?
- Even first-time users of cocaine may experience seizures or heart attacks, which may be fatal.
- A cocaine “high” only lasts 5 to 20 minutes; a user needs to use more and more cocaine to get high.
- Cocaine is reputed to enhance sexual pleasure, but users of both sexes often become unable to function sexually.





