Cocaine Abuse
By:Dylan Wallace
What Is Cocaine And Why Is It So Dangerous?
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. Unlike most molecules, cocaine has pockets with both high hydrophilic and lipophilic efficiency, violating the rule of hydrophilic-lipophilic balance. This causes it to cross the blood-brain barrier far bettter than other psychoactive chemicals and may even induce blood-brain barrier breakdown. Data has shown that cocaine is ranked both the 2nd most addictive and the 2nd most harmful drug in the world.
What Effects Does Cocaine Have?
Cocaine's effects appear almost immediately after a single dose and disappear within a few minutes or hours. Taken in small amounts (up to 100 mg), cocaine usually makes the user feel euphoric, energetic, talkative, and mentally alert, especially to the sensations of sight, sound, and touch. It can also decrease the need for food and sleep.
Why Is Cocaine So Addictive?
Cociane is so addictive because it stimulates key pleasure centers within the brain and releases high amounts of euphoria. A tolerance to cocaine quickly develops, the addict soon fails to achieve the same high experienced earlier from the same amount of cocaine.
Deadly Combanations Of Drugs
Cocaine is sometimes taken with other drugs, including tranqulizers, amphetamines, marijuana, and heroin. Some combinations greatly increase the danger of using cocaine, one can easily create a mixture of narcotics that proves fatal.
Sources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cocaine
"Cocaine." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 06 Mar. 2013. Web. 03 June 2013.
http://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/cocaine/why-is-cocaine-so-highly-addictive.html
"Official Foundation for a Drug-Free World, Cocaine Dependence, Effects of Cocaine."Official Foundation for a Drug-Free World, Cocaine Dependence, Effects of Cocaine. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 June 2013.
http://www.cocaineaddiction.ws/Cocaine_Statistics.htm
"Statistics on Cocaine." Statistics on Cocaine. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 June 2013.