Transcript Cocaine

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In the 1880’s, psychiatrist Sigmund Freud
wrote and prescribed cocaine as a
treatment for many ailments such as
depression & addiction to alcohol and
opiates.
Pure cocaine was first isolated from the
leaves of the coca bush in 1860.
 Contained in small amounts in the leaves
of erythroxylum (coca) bush
 Researchers soon discovered that
cocaine numbs whatever tissue it
touches.
 This lead to it’s use as a local anesthetic.
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Coca leaves grow on the slopes of the
Andes Mountains in South America.
 For at least 4,500 years, people in Peru &
Bolivia have chewed the coca leaves to
lessen hunger & fatigue.
 Most of the world’s supply of coca is
grown & refined into cocaine in
Colombia.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_b
ZZt1zs60&feature=related
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vn
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 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0H
KSYEPwV8&feature=related
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Stimulant
Snorted
Smoked
Injected
Faster the absorption, the shorter the
high……
 Snorting may last 15 to 30 minutes
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Smoking may last 5 to 10 minutes
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Injection – 3 minutes
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Once the drug leaves the brain, users
experience a “coke crash” that triggers
depression, irritability & fatigue.
Heart - Cocaine is bad for the heart.
Cocaine increases heart rate and blood
pressure while constricting the arteries
supplying blood to the heart.
 Brain - Cocaine can constrict blood vessels
in the brain, causing strokes. This can
happen even in young people without
other risk factors for strokes. Cocaine causes
seizures and can lead to bizarre or violent
behavior.
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Lungs and respiratory system. Snorting cocaine
damages the nose and sinuses. Regular use
can cause nasal perforation. Smoking crack
cocaine irritates the lungs and, in some
people, causes permanent lung damage.
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Sexual function. Although cocaine has a
reputation as an aphrodisiac, it actually
may make you less able to finish what you
start. Chronic cocaine use can impair
sexual function in men and women. In men,
cocaine can cause delayed or impaired
ejaculation.
Psychologically
 Not physiologically although withdrawal
or “coming down off drug” is extremely
difficult on the body
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAD
B1JdkYp0
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2Pw
CuynrhM&feature=related
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Dilated pupils
 Increased body temperature, Blood
pressure & heart rate
 Insomnia
 Loss of appetite
 Increased energy
 Reduced fatigue
 Mental clarity
 Talkativeness
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Paranoia
 Depression
 Ulcers in the membranes of the nose
 Changes in the chemistry of the brain
 Dulled senses of taste & smell
 Weight loss, poor health & sexual
dysfunction
 Loss of social & financial supports
 Holes in bony separation between nostrils
in nose
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About 14% of U.S. adults have tried
cocaine.
 Young men aged 18 to 25 are the
biggest cocaine users, with 8% using it in
the previous 12 months.
 One in 40 adults has used it in the past
year.
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