CRACK COCAINE

Crack Cocaine

Crack Cocaine

Introduction

Cocaine and crack represent major drugs of abuse (about 6.4 million regular users in North America and 4 million in Europe) due to the rapid production of euphoria following administration. Cocaine is probably the oldest known peripheral nerve conduction blocker (Celerino and Dave, 2004). It serves as local painkiller by blocking the inward flux of sodium ions during depolarization and is still used in eye, nose, throat, dental, and ear surgery. Cocaine abuse causes many health problems, is very damaging to heart cells, and, depending upon route of administration, has high addiction potential. Cocaine hydrochloride (named by Dr. Albert Neimann in 1860) is a major psychomotor stimulant drug. It is also called benzoylmethylecgoninen, an ester of the tropane alkaloid.

Thesis Statement

Cocaine and crack represent major drugs of abuse and it is useful in multiple ways.

Crack Cocaine: A Discussion

Crack is of a form of cocaine named because of the distinctive sound made as the crystals are heated. Large quantities of cocaine hydrochloride are needed to produce a freebase "rock." Usually an ammonia or sodium bicarbonate base is heated with cocaine to remove the hydrochloride salt leaving base that is about 50% cocaine and is nonwater soluble. Crack is not just purified cocaine as many users believe. Crack rocks are sold in small quantities making crack more affordable than cocaine hydrochloride. Crack is usually smoked with a small glass pipe that can be filled with rum instead of water. Because much of the cocaine is lost through condensation and escapes as smoke, only about 5% of vaporized cocaine is absorbed in the user. When users inhales the vapor, they can experience euphoria in seconds. However, this euphoria fades rapidly over a minute and terminates in about 10 minutes. Crack also produces a greater craving for redosing than cocaine hydro-choloride administered intravenously does (Celerino and Dave, 2004).

Cocaine is a natural plant chemical synthesized by many of the genus Erythroxylum species, a common looking shrub. The five major cocaine-producing plant species are laetevirens (among the newest discovered and the highest cocaine-producing variant); coca variety coca (grown mainly in Bolivia), coca variety ipadu (grown mainly in the Amazon Basin), novogranatense variety novogranatense (grown in Colombia and now accounts for about 85% of all illicit global cocaine grown), and novogranatense variety truillense (grown in the Western Andes; the common name is Trujillo, and this is the plant the Incas called Royal Coca). Originally (Wells, 2000), these cocaine-producing plants, which normally grow about a meter tall, were indigenous in South America's moist mountainous regions with the highest amount found in locations corresponding to Bolivia and Peru. Historically, the word coca derives from the pre-Incan Tiwanaku tribe word for plant or tree used by peoples that live in the Peruvian Andes and is not related to the cocoa nut.

Today, more cocaine is grown in Colombia than any other country. According to a 2007 World Drug Report, in 2006 an estimated 610 metric tons were produced in Colombia compared to a total South American production of 984 metric ...