Description
Cocaine is a fine white crystalline powder obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. It is commonly cut with other powders such as corn starch or sugar. Crack cocaine looks like white rock salt or white candle wax. It often has a yellow colouring.
Consumption
Cocaine can be sniffed, inhaled, eaten or rubbed onto the mucous membranes of the nose. Cocaine is often sniffed up to the nose through rolled up dollar bills. "Rails" are lines of cocaine which are snorted. "Cap shots" refers to cocaine which is placed in a cap and 'dumped' up the nostrils.
Crack cocaine can be smoked or melted and injected. Common paraphernalia includes pipes, small pieces of glass or mirrors, razor blades or hypodermic needles.
Effects
Using cocaine has a variety of adverse effects on the body. For example, cocaine constricts blood vessels, dilates pupils, and increases body temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure. It can also cause headaches and gastrointestinal complications such as abdominal pain and nausea. Because cocaine tends to decrease appetite, chronic users can become malnourished as well.
Different methods of taking cocaine can produce different adverse effects. Regular intranasal use (snorting) of cocaine can lead to loss of the sense of smell, nosebleeds, problems with swallowing, hoarseness, and a chronically runny nose. Ingesting cocaine can cause severe bowel gangrene as a result of reduced blood flow. Injecting cocaine can bring about severe allergic reactions and increased risk for contracting HIV and other blood-borne diseases. Binge-patterned cocaine use may lead to irritability, restlessness, and anxiety. Cocaine users can also experience severe paranoia—a temporary state of full-blown paranoid psychosis—in which they lose touch with reality and experience auditory hallucinations.
Regardless of the route or frequency of use, cocaine users can experience acute cardiovascular or cerebrovascular emergencies, such as a heart attack or stroke, which may cause sudden death. Cocaine-related deaths are often a result of cardiac arrest or seizure followed by respiratory arrest.
Street Names
All-American, Angie, Aunt Nora, base, beam, Bernie, black rock, Blanca, blow, California cornflakes, candy, happy trails, icing, king, lady, nose candy, pearl, powder, sleigh ride, snow, snow cone, soda, white, zip.
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