Cocaine

A Welcome Drug Turns Sour

German chemists first isolated and extracted cocaine in the 1850s. It soon was added to medicinal tonics, wine, and a new drink, Coca-Cola. Scientists discovered that cocaine could be a surgical anesthetic, and Sigmund Freud advocated using it to treat medical and psychological problems. Tests also proved that the drug increased endurance. By the turn of the century, the chemical company Merck was producing around three tons of cocaine annually. The U.S. and European governments urged Andean countries to increase production and exported coca to grow in Javanese plantations.

The early 1900s saw a quick shift in the United States toward condemnation and illegalization of cocaine, as doctors diagnosed numerous cocaine addictions and negative side effects. In 1914, the Harrison Narcotics Tax Act prohibited cocaine use except as an anesthetic. Under the 1970 Controlled Substances Act, cocaine became a Schedule II substance, making it illegal to sell, buy, or possess without a medical license or prescription.

Today, cocaine production, trafficking, and retail is associated with drug cartels and street gangs. Latin American coca is shipped to Colombia to extract cocaine, a multistep process that uses sodium bicarbonate, kerosene, and sulfuric acid to produce cocaine powder. Drug traffickers smuggle powder into consumer countries, where it is “cut” with fillers such as cornstarch before being sold for $50 to $150 per gram. Cocaine users snort powder, allowing mucus membranes to absorb the salt cocaine hydrochloride. Consumers also dissolve powder in water and inject it. Within consumer countries, cocaine powder may be processed further to produce freebase or crack, base forms of cocaine. Crack costs $5 to $20 to for a .1 to .5 gram “rock.” Freebase and crack are smoked. Heat vaporizes the cocaine, which consumers inhale. Crack gets its name from the crackling sound the rock makes when heated.

Cocaine and the Nervous System

Cocaine stimulates the central nervous system by interfering with dopamine cycling. Dopamine stimulates neurons in the brain, allowing people to experience pleasure. Normally, dopamine is active only briefly before being carried away by a dopamine transporter. Cocaine binds to dopamine transporters, so dopamine continues to stimulate neurons and drug users experience prolonged euphoria. Smoking crack produces an intense high that lasts 5 to 10 minutes. Snorting cocaine powder produces a less intense high that lasts 15 to 40 minutes. Signs of cocaine high include hyperactivity, decreased appetite, and dilated pupils.

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