Cocaine is a powerful addictive stimulant drug made from the leaves of the coca plant native to South America. Cocaine is also known as benzoylmethylecgonine or coke is mostly used as a recreational drug. It is an illegal drug. It is often mix it with things like cornstarch, talcum powder, or flour to be sold or increase profits. It may also be mix with other drugs such as the stimulant amphetamine. Mental effects may include loss of contact with reality, an intense feeling of happiness, or agitation. Physical symptoms may include a fast heart rate, sweating, and large pupils. High doses can result in very high blood pressure or body temperature. Effects begin within seconds to minutes of use and last between five and ninety minutes. Cocaine …show more content…
However, it has certain disadvantages like causing intense vasoconstrictor activity and has a potential for cardiovascular toxicity. Due to which it has been largely replaced in Western medicine by synthetic local anaesthetics such as benzocaine, proparacaine, lignocaine-xylocaine-lidocaine, and tetracaine but it remains available for use if specified.
Recreational Use: Cocaine increases alertness, feelings of well-being and euphoria, energy and motor activity, feelings of competence and sexuality. Cocaine's effects are very similar to that of amphetamine, however cocaine's effects tend to be much shorter lasting and more
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It mostly found in powder form as a salt for example cocaine hydrochloride. Street cocaine is often adulterated with talc, lactose, sucrose, glucose, menthol, inositol etc. . The colour of adulterated cocaine depends upon several factors including the origin of the cocaine used, the method of preparation ( with ammonia or baking soda) and the presence of impurities. The colour will generally range from white to a yellowish cream to a light brown. Its texture will also depend on the adulterants, origin and processing of the powdered cocaine, and the method of converting the base. It ranges from a crumbly texture, extremely oily, to a hard, almost crystalline