Some interesting facts about Cocaine
Cocaine is a strong stimulate that affects the body’s central nervous system. Cocaine is a white crystalline powder that is often mixed with sugar, cornstarch, vitamins and/or flour. Crack cocaine looks like a small rock, chunk or chip and it is sometimes off-white or pink in color. Common names for cocaine include: coke, dust, toot, line, nose candy, snow, sneeze, powder, girl, white pony, flake, C, the lady, Cain, neuro-Cain, rock, or crack. But, it’s all cocaine: a powerfully addictive pain blocker extracted from the leaves of Erythroxylon coca, a plant that comes from the Andean highlands in South America.
Users of cocaine generally take it into their systems in three different ways. It can be injected (released directly into the bloodstream), smoked (inhaled as vapor or smoke into the lungs, where it rapidly enters the bloodstream), or snorted (inhaled through the nose enter the bloodstream through nasal tissues). Interestingly, it is the second most commonly used illicit drug in the U.S. In fact, nearly one percent of Americans, or 2.1 million people, are currently using cocaine. Users come from all economic status, all ages and all genders.
Cocaine poses a threat to Utah, particularly because of the violence associated with the distribution and abuse of the drug. Powdered cocaine is distributed in both wholesale and retail quantities and is available throughout the state. Crack cocaine is available only in retail quantities and only in metropolitan areas. Mexican criminal groups transport powdered cocaine into the state and serve as wholesale, midlevel, and retail distributors. At the retail level street gangs and Caucasian and Mexican local independent dealers distribute powdered cocaine. Some street gangs also convert powdered cocaine into crack and distribute the drug at the wholesale and retail levels. (National Drug Intelligence Center, Utah Drug Threat Assessment)
Cocaine is very addictive and leaves users with an overwhelming craving for the drug. The addiction to cocaine develops quickly, sometimes after just a few times of smoking/snorting/injecting it. Those addicted to cocaine or crack can find help in behavioral treatment including both residential and outpatient approaches.
medicalnewstoday.com