COCAINE. The potent drug cocaine was first prescribed as an anesthetic and a painkiller
by doctors who believed that it was a safe substitute for morphine. The drug is a white,
crystalline compound that has been processed from the leaves of the coca plant
(Erythroxylum coca), a tropical shrub commonly found wild in Peru and Bolivia and
cultivated in many other countries. For centuries South American Indians have chewed the
coca leaves for pleasure and to help them withstand strenuous working conditions, hunger,
and thirst. The cocaine in the leaves produces local anesthesia of the mouth and
stomach.
Cocaine is a dangerous, habit-forming drug. It is classified as an alkaloid compound.
(Other well-known alkaloids are morphine, strychnine, and nicotine.) Cocaine stimulates
the cortex of the brain, producing intense euphoria and the desire to repeat the
experience; however, the drug has a highly toxic effect upon the central nervous system.
The fine, white powder--also called snow, coke, or toot--can be tasted, but usually it
is sniffed. It is readily absorbed into the bloodstream through the nasal mucous
membranes, but it acts as an irritant to constrict blood vessels and sometimes causes
ulcerations in the nasal cavity. Cocaine is also injected in solution into veins or may
be smoked in chemically treated forms known as free base and crack.
Any method of ingestion produces compulsive use, and drug dependency may develop in a
relatively short time. Users are attracted at first when small amounts of cocaine
decrease their fatigue and increase their mental awareness. When taken in larger amounts,
cocaine may also produce digestive disorders, weight loss, sleeplessness, irritability,
depression, and hallucinations or paranoia. Cocaine abuse overstimulates the spinal cord,
and convulsions may result, leading to respiratory failure and death. (See Drugs)
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