Transcript Cocaine

Cocaine
By: Jenna Pressler
Emily Freedman
Sara Seidman
Overview
What is Cocaine?
● Cocaine is a local anesthetic and central nervous system stimulant
● Powder or crystal form
● Crack is a form of cocaine that has been processed to make a
rock crystal that can be smoked.
● Made from the coca plant native to south America
● It was first isolated by German chemist Albert Niemann in the early
1800s. Its early uses were in surgery to numb nose and throat
areas.
● Sold on streets usually diluted with fillers to increase volume.
● Most often injected or snorted
Street Names
● Coke
● Crack
● Snow
● Star dust
● Nose candy
● Blow
● Charlie
● Aunt Nora
● Bernice
Appearance
● White crystalline powder
Methods of use
● Snorting (Most common)
● Orally ingested
● Rubbed on gums
● Smoked (Crack cocaine)
How does cocaine work?
● Central nervous stimulant
● Interferes with dopamine
● Speeds up your body and mind so you feel more
energetic
● Acts as an anesthetic causing your nose and throat to
go numb
● Effects are felt immediately
● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxI7PTVRfhQ
Advantages of cocaine
● Increased energy levels
● More alert
● Exhilaration
● Pain relief
● Excitement
● Increased confidence
● Euphoria
Disadvantages
● Dizziness
●
trembling
●
nausea
●
heart attack
●
muscle twitches
Cost per gram
Short-term effects
● Euphoria
● Energy and talkativeness
● Raising heart rate and blood pressure
● Dilates pupils
● Increases body temperature
● Decreases appetite
Long-term effects
● Restless
● Paranoid
● Over excited
● Nausea
● Weight loss
● Eating disorders
Serious Effects
● Heart Attacks
● Stroke
● Contracting HIV
● Seizures
● Brain hemorrhage
● Convulsion
● Death
Dependence
● Over time a tolerance is developed because a higher
dose is needed to produce the same effects.
● Causes long term changes in the brain
Abuse/Addiction
● Cocaine alters the brains sense of reward and
punishment. The buildup of dopamine causes the brain
to have a constant sense of reward. Once the effects
wear off, the brain still craves the constant reward
which results in an addiction to the drug.
● Lose control
Who is most likely to use cocaine?
● Young
● Male
● Unmarried
● Unemployed
● High school dropouts
● Living below the poverty level
Interesting Facts
Myths & Facts
Myth #1: Children whose mothers smoked crack during gestation are neurologically damaged. They
don't develop emotionally or intellectually.
Fact: The assertions claiming that children who have been exposed to crack cocaine before birth are
permanently damaged are unsubstantiated. Numerous studies have shown that there is very little
conclusive evidence to support the "crack baby" myth.
Myth #2: Crack is purer than powder cocaine, and is more potent.
Fact: There is no pharmacological difference between crack cocaine and powder cocaine. Crack cocaine is
simply powder cocaine which has been converted into a solid "rock" form that may be smoked.
http://www.crack-facts.org/index.html:refrence
According tо thе 2008 National Survey on Drug Use аnd Health (NSDUH), аrоund 36.8 million
Americans age 12 аnd abоvе trіed Cocaine at least onсe in their lifetime.
*
Treatment
● Medically supervised cocaine detoxification (detox)
● Group and individual counseling
● Family therapy
● 12-step program meetings
● Relapse prevention
● Aftercare programs
References
● http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/cocaine
● http://www.ceida.net.au/stimulants/cocaine.asp
● http://money.cnn.com/2013/10/09/technology/silk-road-drugprices/
● http://www.crackcocaine.us/content/crack-cocainestatistics.html
● http://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/cocaine/a-shorthistory.html
● http://www.cesar.umd.edu/cesar/drugs/cocaine.asp
● http://abovetheinfluence.com/wp-
content/uploads/2014/02/cocaine_shorter.jpg