The Effects of Crack/Cocaine
Mental and Emotional Impact
Mental/Emotional
Cocaine's effect on the brain
- Cocaine restricts blood flow, which can lead to blood clots/heart attacks
- Cocaine ages the brain twice as fast as a healthy person
- Cocaine increases the amount of dopamine in the body
- Mental illness can develop
- Hallucinations
- Paranoia
- Psychosis
Effect on the Brain
Emotional Impact
- Cocaine Produces a fast euphoria
- Within 30 min, the high is gone, users chase this high by taking more and more lines of cocaine
- This leads to strong cravings/dependency on the drug
- Eventually the only time they experience happiness is with a line of cocaine
-Smoking
-Inhale its vapor/smoke into the lungs, and then absorbed into the bloodline
-Inhaling
-It is absorbed through the nasal tissues into the bloodstream
(most common)
How it enters the body
-Injecting directly into bloodstream
Different Ways Crack/Cocaine Enters the Body
-Oral Use
-Powder is rubbed against the gums
Short & Long Term Effects
Long & Short Term Effects of Crack/Cocaine
- Increased tolerance
- Mood Disorders
- Delirium
- Hallucinations/Delusions
- Unpleasant withdrawal syndrome
- Cardiovascular problems
- Malnutrition
- Increased Heart Rate
- Intense Cravings
- Decreased Appetite
- Dilated Pupils
- Paranoia
- Aggressive Behavior/Unprovoked Attacks (caused by paranoia)
Side Effects of Crack/Cocaine
Side Effects
- Irritability
- Anxiety
- Headaches
- Depression
- Aggressive Behavior
- Risk of Heart Attack/Stroke
- Abdominal Pain
Social Impact
Social Impact
Consequences of Crack/Cocaine Abuse
Consequences
Consequences for using Crack/Cocaine
- Dependency
- Impulse control problems
- Memory loss
- Loss of touch with reality
- Loss of family members/friends
- Possession of 5 grams of crack results in an automatic 5 year sentence
- Cocaine possession is usually solved with a probation sentence, but can still result in prison time
- Possession with intent to distribute can land you many more years of jail time
Crack/Cocaine on The Street
The Streets
Prevalence & Street Terms
Cocaine
- Blow
- Coke
- Nose candy
- Snow
- Speedball
Crack
- Black Rock
- Candy
- Sleet
- Snow Coke
- Tornado
- Young adults 18-25
- Cocaine - Mainly white men in their 20s
- Crack - Mainly young african-american males
- In 2020, 5.2 million people reported cocaine use in the past 12 months
Financial Impact of Crack/Cocaine
Financial Impact
Medical Uses for Cocaine
Medicinal Uses
- Cocaine is an anesthetic
- Often used in nasal surgery to help block the pain signals to the brain
- Can be used in diagnostic test to evaluate somebody's pupillary reaction
- Used to test for Horner's syndrome
What it costs the Government
Cost of Crack/Cocaine
- Federal Government spends billions each year on drug control
- The DEA spends lots of funds and time to prevent drugs and violence over them
- Drug-related crime claims many lives each year
- Constant need of drugs can cripple you financially
- Moderate cocaine addiction can cost $150 a day
- Severe addiction can cost hundreds, or even thousands a day
Financial Impact