Drugs

A Guide for Addicts, Youths and Parents Alike.

Cocaine

Street Names; Charlie, Coke, Snow, Snowdust, Flake, Crack    

What is it; Cocaine is   an alkaloid obtained from leaves of the coca plant and used medically as a local anaesthetic .The plant is about 1 to 2 m (about 3 to 6 ft) high, with straight branches and leaves that resemble tea leaves. It is also widely abused as a drug. Cocaine has long been known as a drug of abuse, but it came into particular prominence in the late 1970s and the 1980s. Cocaine hydrochloride, a water-soluble salt, is an odourless  dry white flaky and bitter tasting powder (known on the street as "snow") that is usually inhaled through a thin tube inserted into the nostril. More rarely, cocaine is injected into a vein. The drug may also be smoked in a purified form through a water pipe ("freebasing") or in a concentrated form ("crack") shaped into pellets and placed in special smoking gear. It can be detected in urine for up to three days.

Signs of use; Hyperactive, pupils wide.

Highs; Altering taking cocaine users have said to experienced feelings of confidence, well being and energy. It reduces the users appetite and desire to sleep.

The Lows; Chronic use can lead to skin abscesses, perforation of the septum of the nose, weight loss, exhaustion and damage to the nervous system. If smoked there is an increased desire for more and it has caused brain damage. In some cases it has caused death due to hearth or respiratory failure.

Addictiveness; High

Dangers; After taking cocaine the user pushes the body further than it would usually go and neglect the need for sleep and food. Therefore when the person comes down off it again they are left open to disease, illness and exhaustion. In some cases sudden death may occur.