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Cocaine and Crack
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Cocaine & Crack
Studies have shown that Cocaine may be one of the most addictive of all illicit drugs. Some users spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on Cocaine and Crack and will do anything to support their habit. Many turn to drug selling, prostitution or other crimes. This creates an enormous burden on society in terms of drug-related crime, costs for health care and social services, and lost productivity.
The Problem
The Drug
Cocaine comes from the leaf of the Coca plant, a shrub originated from the Andes Mountains of South America. As sold on the streets, it can be in the form of a fine crystalline powder, flakes or in a coarse, form called “Rock Cocaine” or “Crack”.
Street Cocaine is typically diluted with fillers such as cornstarch, sugars, and baby laxatives. It is also mixed with similar acting ingredients like procaine or benzocaine, or with stimulants such as amphetamines.
The actual Cocaine content of these street compounds usually ranges from 5% to 53%. Sometimes the compounds don’t contain any Cocaine at all.
Sniffing (or snorting) the drug is the most common means of ingestion. It is also applied to mucous membranes, sprayed into the back of the mouth or throat with an atomizer, injected or smoked. Cocaine is prepared for smoking by a chemical process called “Freebasing”. Since it involves highly flammable solvents, Freebasing is practically dangerous.
Some street names for Cocaine are:
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Blow
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Coke
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Flake
Street Names for Cocaine
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Leaf
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Snow
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Toot
The Effects
Cocaine is a potent local anesthetic which interferes with the action of chemical neurotransmitters that convey impulses to nerve centers in the brain. It constricts blood vessels and deadens feeling in the area of application, resulting in the “numb nose” experienced by users who sniff it. It also suppresses appetite.
At the same time, it is a fast-acting central nervous system stimulant. Sniffing cocaine gives a short-lived “rush” or “high” feeling that is accompanied by feelings of increased energy, mental alertness and altered sensory awareness. It reduces the perceived need for food and sleep, and postpones the symptoms of fatigue. These effects last about thirty minutes or less, and and are sometimes followed by feelings of depression.
Physical symptoms include
of Cocaine
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Faster heartbeat and breathing
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Rise in body temperature and blood pressure
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Dilated pupils
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Sweating and paleness
Physical Symptoms
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Large doses may lead to bizarre, erratic or violent behavior
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Regular users report restlessness
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Irritability
Anxiety
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Loss of appetite and sleep
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Others report hallucination of touch, sight, taste or smell.
Chapter 40: 07 of the Commonwealth of Dominica Laws are aimed at make provision with respect to dangerous or otherwise harmful drugs and related matters. The law sets criminal penalties for possession or sale of drugs considered harmful or subject to abuse. The weight of offence and penalty imposed upon convictions is dependent on the type of drug and the amount held or sold.
The Law
Cocaine is referred to as a controlled drug which is classified as a Class B Drug. Possession in amount of 1 gram of more is punishable by up to 2 years imprisonment or to a fine of EC $20, 000.
Trafficking of controlled drugs are punishable up to 14 years imprisonment or to a fine of EC $ 200,000 or where there is evidence of the street value of the controlled drug, three times the street value of the controlled drug, whichever is greater.
At high doses, cocaine can produce:
- respiratory arrest,
- seizures,
- cardiac arrest and high fever which may be fatal.
Chronic users can experience “cocaine psychosis” a condition in which euphoria is replaced by restlessness, extreme excitability, sleeplessness and paranoia.
The Dangers
Crack can cause:
lung damage
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heart attacK
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stroke
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respiratory problems
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including congestion, sneezing and spitting up of black phlegm;
burning of the lips, tongue and throat;
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weight loss
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and generally poor health.
Cocaine leads to strong psychological dependence. The drug is deceptively habit-forming. Since regular users become severely depressed when they stop using cocaine, they feel compelled to continue use of the drug not only to regain the the pleasurable effects it has for but also to ward off depression.
Regular users frequently report feeling “wired”, a hyper-aroused state which users often try to deal with by using sedative drugs, including alcohol and opiates. This pattern of drug use can cause severe, and potentially fatal, reaction. Among cocaine’s other risks:
Dangers continued.....
Impurities present in street cocaine may produce other complications.
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Sniffing the drug damages nasal tissue and can result in perforation of the nasal septum.
Cocaine use can impair the immune system.
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Injection with a non-sterile or dirty syringe may cause hepatitis, lung abscesses and HIV/AIDS.
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Sexual promiscuity associated with crack use also increases the risk of Sexually Transmitted Diseases.
It is important to remember there are places to go for help in dealing with your own alcohol/ drug problem or that of someone close to you. A certified treatment programme, a health professional knowledgeable about addiction, an Employee assistance programme, and variety of self-help support groups.
Prevention
&
Treatment
Contact Information
National Drug Abuse Prevention Unit
Ministry of Health and Social Services
4th Floor Government Headquarters
Kennedy Avenue
Roseau
Commonwealth of Dominica
Phone: 1-767-266-3343
Fax: 1-767-448-6086
Email: drugprevention@dominica.gov.dm