COCAINE

DESCRIPTION

• It is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant
• It can be took by "chewing," "snorting," "injecting," and "smoking"
• Most commonly it is a white crystalline powder or rock crystal
• It's a stimulant drug

STREET NAMES

• Blow, Charlie, Coke, Dust, Flake, Crack, Sniff, Snow, and White

SHORT-TERM EFFECTS

• People who use it often don’t eat or sleep properly
• They can experience greatly increased heart rate, muscle spasms and convulsions
• It can make people feel paranoid, angry, hostile and anxious—even when they aren’t high

LONG-TERM EFFECTS

• Cocaine causes heart, kidney, brain and lung damage
• High blood pressure, leading to heart attacks, strokes, and death
• Permanent damage to blood vessels of heart and brain

USER POPULATION

• In 2008, there were approximately 1.9 million drug users in the United States
• Adults aged 18 to 25 years have a higher rate of current cocaine use than any other age group
• 1.5 percent of young adults have used cocaine within one month

Cocaine

Coca Plant

SOURCES

• Drugfreeworld.org
• Alcoholism.about.com
• Ceida.net.au
• Drugabuse.gov