Everything You Need to Know About Cocaine

Ah, cocaine. One of the most infamous drugs in the United States. But, how did it gain such an infamous name? How were we even introduced to cocaine?

Its history goes all the way back to the 16th Century, where it was used during religious ceremonies by native Peruvians. In 1532, however, Spanish soldiers invaded and forced Indian laborers to work in their silver mines, where they were supplied with coca leaves as it made them easier to control. Fast forward to 1859, when German chemist Albert Niemann extracted cocaine from coca leaves. Later, an Austrian psychoanalyst named Sigmund Freud would begging to broadly promote cocaine, and would even prescribe it to others. In 1886, coca leaves were included in a new soft-drink called Coca-Cola, but this was ended in 1903, where it was removed from the formula due to public pressure. This was because people began becoming aware of its negative affects on us, and by 1922, the drug was officially banned from the United States.

So, you know the general history of cocaine and its introduction to the US, but I’d also highly suggest you watch this video about it, as well. It goes more in depth about the facts I mentioned above (its long, but also very interesting).

And like most drugs, it has its street names, too.

Now, let’s get into the grits of cocaine. To start, it rests within the stimulant class of drugs and is classified as a schedule 2 drug. Scheduling is a term used to describe the acceptability in medical use and the abuse or dependency potential of the drug. A schedule rating of 5 would be a safer drug, like common medicines. On the other hand, a schedule rating of 1 would be a drug that is highly addictive and has a high potential for abuse. Cocaine typically looks white and can come in a few forms, like a powder, or a crystalline substance known as crack. People tend to snort it into their nose, inject it into their blood or gums, or inhale the vapors from it in its crystal from, which is heated in a glass pipe. And like most drugs, it has its street names, too. Coke, bump, flake, and rock are just a few to list.

Studies have shown that teens between grades 8 and 12 use this drug the most.

So, then, that begs the question: how does it gets into the US now? Who uses it? And, another important question, how is it even made? Well, coca leaves are harvested and soaked, then the base is extracted and dried to make a crystalline substance, which is cocaine. This process takes place in South America, and a lot of cocaine is produced in Colombia. After production, it is usually smuggled in to the United States by drug cartels, all of which is highly illegal. An important side note, by the way, is that the production of cocaine really damages wildlife. Large areas of water are damaged with oil due to cocaine production, which greatly harms the environment. And this is only one of the ways it does damage to our planet.

Now, another factor to take in: who uses it? Studies have shown that teens between grades 8 and 12 use this drug the most. More specifically, 1.30% of 8th graders will or have used cocaine in their lives, 2.10% of 10th graders will or have used cocaine in their lives, and 4.20% of 12th graders will or have used cocaine in their lives. This is really unfortunate, too, because our brains develop the most in our teens.

This brings up one of the most important questions: what can cocaine actually do to your brain?

Users may also become tolerant to the euphoria generated by cocaine, as well as become addicted even after one use.

Some long-term effects of cocaine to recognize include: permanent damage to blood vessels of the heart and brain, organ damage (of the kidney, liver, and lungs), destruction of nose tissue when sniffed, respiratory failure,severe tooth decay, and auditory and tactile hallucinations. High blood pressure may also result in using cocaine, which may then induce heart attacks, strokes, and even death. Cocaine also affects the user mentally, causing severe depression; delirium or psychosis; apathy and disorientation; and irritability and mood disturbances. Users may also become tolerant to the euphoria generated by cocaine, as well as become addicted even after one use.

This allows the user to to crave even more of the drug because of the seemingly enjoyable feelings it produces.

As for short-term effects, cocaine may cause the following: loss of appetite; increased heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature; contracted blood vessels; increased breathing rate; dilated pupils; nausea; erratic or violent behavior; intense euphoria; anxiety and paranoia; depression, panic, and psychosis: seizures, convulsions, and sudden death from high doses; heart, kidney, brain, and lung damage; and even addiction. It’s apparent that cocaine is dangerous even after just one use.

As we all know, cocaine is very addictive, but why is this? It’s because it stimulates the key pleasure centers of the brain and causes very heightened euphoria, or the feeling of intense excitement or happiness. This allows the user to crave even more of the drug because of the seemingly enjoyable feelings it produces.

Many celebrities have used cocaine, but to name one, Tim Allen, an American comedian, successfully overcame his cocaine addiction. In his memoir, “Don’t Stand Too Close to a Naked Man”, Tim writes about his journey and struggle with drugs.

This just goes to show that there are a wide variety of people in the United States who use cocaine. These people are clearly harming themselves, and many can’t get the help they need. People should be more aware about how they treat their bodies, and in doing so, may make the people of our country much healthier in the future.