2. What is cocaine?
Originally from the coca plant
Derived from purified chemical cocaine hydrochloride
Fine, white, crystalline powder
Classified as a Schedule II drug
High potential for abuse
Can be prescribed for legitimate medical uses
Street Drug
Often called: Coke, C, Snow, Powder, Blow
3. How is it used?
Inhalation
Smoke cocaine and inhale vapor
Intransanally
Snort cocaine powder
Intravenously
Dissolve cocaine in water and inject it
Orally
Rub cocaine powder on gums
4. Effects on the brain
Acts on the ventral tegmental area of the brain
Stimulates pleasure centers of brain
Dopamine is released and builds up causing feelings of
euphoria
Last for about 10 mins
Dopamine is reabsorbed causing feelings of depression
Often leads individuals to use higher doses of the drug
immediately after
5. Short-term effects
Short-term effects
Slow onset; effects last for 15 – 30 mins
Burst of energy, talkative, mentally alert, & hypersensitivity to sight, sound, touch
Bizarre, erratic, & violent behavior
Feelings of euphoria, restlessness, irritability, anxiety, panic, & paranoia
Short-term physiological effects
Constricts blood vessels, dilated pupils, increased body temp, heart rate, & blood pressure
Tremors, vertigo, & muscle twitches
6. Long-term effects
Long-term effects
Increased tolerance
Higher doses required to achieve desired effect
Increased displeasure, irritability, restlessness, panic attacks, paranoia, & psychosis
Auditory hallucinations
Long-term physiological effects
Loss of smell, nosebleeds, problems swallowing, asthma, risk of contracting Hepatitis C & HIV
8. Striking Statistics
Cocaine is the second most trafficked illegal drug in the world
In 2014, there were an estimated 1.5 million current cocaine users aged 12 or older
0.6 percent of the U.S. population
In 2014, adults aged 18 - 25 years had a higher rate of current cocaine use than any other age
group
1.4 percent pf the U.S. population
In 2015, there were about 7,000 deaths in the U.S. due to cocaine overdose
9. Quote
You know, if you’re caught with an ounce of cocaine, the chances are good you’re going
to go to jail. If it happens repeatedly, you may go to jail for the rest of your life. But
evidently, if you launder nearly a billion dollars for drug cartels and violate our
international sanctions, your company pays a fine and you go home and sleep in your
own bed at night, every single individual associated with this. I think that’s
fundamentally wrong.
- Elizabeth Warren
10. Thoughts & Opinions
I was surprised to learn about just how much cocaine is trafficked into the United States. I had
no idea that cocaine was the second most trafficked drug in the world. I feel as though a
significant amount of drug-related media today is dominated by focus on marijuana. I think
that a bigger focus needs to be put on the illegal trafficking and use of cocaine.
I was also shocked by Elizabeth Warren’s quote regarding the regulation of cocaine-related
drug trafficking. It is clear that more focus needs to be put on the actual root cause of many of
the drug problems here in the United States. This root cause is the actual importation of
cocaine into this country. While many individuals do face criminal charges due to the
procession of cocaine, many other individuals face no more than a fine and a slap on the wrist
for actually importing the drug into this country.
11. Discussion
Questions
Do you know anyone who is or
has been addicted to cocaine?
How has it affected their life?
Young adults between the ages
of 18-25 were found to have the
highest rate of cocaine use.
What more do you think could
be done to educate these
individuals, and to help reduce
the high rate of drug use?
12. References
Cocaine. (2016, May). Retrieved from https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-
reports/cocaine/what-scope-cocaine-use-in-united-states
Crack Cocaine’s Effect on Brain (Simple Animation). (2017). Retrieved from http://drugabuse.com/cocaine-
and-the-brain/
Cocaine Quotes. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.azquotes.com/quotes/topics/cocaine.html?p=5
International Statistics. (2017). Retrieved from http://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/cocaine/international-
statistics.html