Cocaine Effects On Society

Cocaine is a strong stimulant mostly used as a recreational drug. It is the most potent stimulant of natural origin. It is extracted from the leaves of the coca plant which grows on the mountain slopes of the Andes Mountains of South America. Illegal cocaine is usually distributed as a white crystalline powder or as an off-white chunky material. Cocaine base is converted into the powder form, which is usually cocaine hydrochloride, by diluting it with other substances. The substances most commonly used in this process are sugars, such as lactose and mannitol, and local anesthetics. Some other names for cocaine that people may or may not know are, coke, crack, coca, blow, and powder.

The damaging effects of cocaine and its destructive influences in Western society were first observed over 100 years ago. They led to the national and international establishment of strict legal controls to limit the use of cocaine to medical applications only. For fifty years, from 1910 to 1960, such regulations along with social disapproval were sufficient to curtail cocaine use to a very small group of high class society. Now, cocaine is used by all levels of society. It can be found in the executive suite, the suburban living room for cocktail hour, the college dorm, and the high school locker

Perhaps even more unfortunate, however, are the negative effects of cocaine on society. The effects of cocaine on society can be seen in the user’s families, communities, and workplaces. Domestic violence and random acts of violence are often fueled by cocaine or crack cocaine use. Children are often the victims of cocaine or crack cocaine using parents. Children born to cocaine users suffer from the harmful pre-natal exposure to the drug and are often times subjected to parental abuse by their addicted