COUNCIL ON DRUG ABUSE

THE DRUG FILE

COCAINE / CRACK

Street Names

coke
snow
blow
flake
c
snow candy

Description
Cocaine is a powerfully addictive stimulant drug. This means that it speeds up the processes in your body and causes you to feel alert and energetic. The way that cocaine acts on your body is by increasing levels of the neurotransmitter. Dopamine increases because cocaine stops it from being recycled back into the cell. This excess of dopamine creates the intense feelings of happiness which people feel when they use cocaine. Cocaine also increases the neurotransmitters norepinepherine and serotonin. The increase in norepinepherine is responsible for the alertness and energy that a person feels while on cocaine, as well as for the increase in heart rate and blood pressure.

Origin and medical usage
Cocaine comes from the leaves of the coca plant, which is found in South America. It is grown in areas such as Colombia, Peru and Bolivia. Cocaine has been ingested for thousands of years and, in the early 1900s, was used in elixirs for a variety of until it was legally restricted in 1911. It is still sometimes used in local anaesthetics, but this is rare.

Short-term effects
The short-term effects of cocaine abuse include energy, alertness, euphoria, an increase in heart rate and blood pressure, dilated pupils, convulsions, nervousness, irritability, violent behaviour, paranoia, insomnia, decreased appetite and a decrease in decision-making ability.

Long-term effects
Long-term effects of cocaine abuse include mood swings, sleep problems, stroke, heart attack, arrhythmia, seizures, weight loss, hallucinations, delusions, aggressive paranoid behaviour, destruction of the nasal septum, poor relationships with others because of aggression, dependence, as well as work, money and housing problems. Injection users are at a high risk of acquiring diseases such as HIV/AIDS and hepatitis. Smokers are at an increased risk of respiratory complications such as coughing, chest pains, shortness of breath, lung trauma and bleeding.

Withdrawal
Withdrawal is what happens when a person stops taking cocaine. After people stop taking cocaine, they “crash” and experience high degrees of depression, anxiety and hostility. This is due to the depletion of neurotransmitters caused by the use of cocaine. These symptoms are what usually cause an individual to keep using cocaine, they are so intense.

Legal status
In Canada, possession of cocaine is a criminal offence. Trafficking, possession for the purpose of trafficking or exporting, production or importing and exporting of cocaine are offences that are punishable by up to life in prison.

Signs that a person might be using
Signs that a person may be using cocaine may include, but are not limited to, weight loss, nosebleeds, red or bloodshot eyes, dilated pupils, chronic runny and "sniffy" nose, lack of fatigue, fast speech, panic, white powder on face or clothes, and possession of mirrors or razor blades for making lines.