Pubdate: Wed, 22 Nov 2006 Source: Valley Echo, The (CN BC) Copyright: 2006 The Valley Echo Contact: http://www.invermerevalleyecho.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2140 Author: Ian Cobb WHAT EXACTLY IS COCAINE/CRACK? According to the Web site cocaine.org, "Cocaine is an alkaloid found in leaves of the South American shrub Erythroxylon coca. It is a powerfully reinforcing psychostimulant. The drug induces a sense of exhilaration in the user primarily by blocking the re-uptake of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the midbrain. "In pre-Columbian times, the coca leaf was officially reserved for Inca royalty. The natives used coca for mystical, religious, social, nutritional and medicinal purposes. Coqueros exploited its stimulant properties to ward off fatigue and hunger, enhance endurance, and to promote a benign sense of well-being. Coca was initially banned by the Spanish. In 1551 the Bishop of Cuzco outlawed coca use on pain of death because it was 'an evil agent of the devil.' "Returning Spanish conquistadores introduced coca to Europe. Even Shakespeare may have smoked it - and inhaled. The coca plant is perishable and travels poorly. "Yet coca was touted as "an elixir of life." In 1814, an editorial in Gentleman's Magazine urged researchers to begin experimentation so that coca could be used as "a substitute for food so that people could live a month, now and then, without eating." The active ingredient of the coca plant was first isolated in 1855 by German chemist Friedrich Gaedcke and he named it Erythroxyline. It became known as cocaine when Albert Niemann described an improved purification process for his Ph.D. "Sigmund Freud, an early enthusiast, described cocaine as a magical drug," notes cocaine.org. "Freud wrote a song of praise in its honour; and he practised extensive self-experimentation. Robert Louis Stephenson wrote The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde during a six-day cocaine-binge." However, times have changed dramatically since Coca-Cola removed cocaine from its product. The common form of the drug comes when coca leaves are soaked and mashed into a coca-paste. "After the organic solvent used has evaporated, the coca-paste is 60 to 80% pure. It is usually exported in the form of the salt, cocaine hydrochloride. This is the powdered cocaine most common, until recently, in the West. Drug testing for cocaine aims to detect the presence of its major metabolite, the inactive benzoylecgonine," Cocaine.org explained. Like any drug that's been around a while, cocaine's potency has increased. "Sensation-hungry thrill-seekers have long sought the ultimate high from the ultimate rush. They haven't been satisfied with the enhanced mood, sexual interest, self-confidence, conversational prowess and intensified consciousness to be derived from just snorting cocaine. "Normally, only the intravenous route of administration could be expected to deliver the more potent and rapid hit they have been seeking. Yet there are very strong cultural prejudices against injecting recreational drugs. So a smokeable form was developed," Cocaine.org noted. "Since the hydrochloride salt decomposes at the temperature required to vaporize it, cocaine is instead converted to the liberated base form. Initially, 'free-base' cocaine was typically produced using volatile solvents, usually ether. "Unfortunately, this technique is physically dangerous. The solvent tends to ignite. Hence a more convenient method of producing smokeable free-base became popular. Its product is crack." It is called crack because it makes a cracking sound when heated. Wikipedia notes chronic users of cocaine can expect to experience depression and "a loss of vesicular monoamine transporters, neurofilament proteins, and other morphological changes appear to indicate a long-term damage of dopamine neurons. All these effects contribute to the rise in an abuser's tolerance thus requiring a larger dosage to achieve the same effect. "The lack of normal amounts of serotonin and dopamine in the brain is the cause of the dysphoria and depression felt after the initial high. The diagnostic criteria for cocaine withdrawal is characterized by a dysphoric mood, fatigue, unpleasant dreams, insomnia or hypersomnia, E.D., increased appetite, psychomotor retardation or agitation, and anxiety. "Cocaine abuse also has multiple physical health consequences. It is associated with a lifetime risk of heart attack that is seven times that of non-users. During the hour after cocaine is used, heart attack risk rises 24-fold. "Side effects from chronic smoking of cocaine include chest pain, lung trauma, shortness of breath, sore throat, hoarse voice, dyspnea, and an aching, flu-like syndrome. A common misconception is that the smoking of cocaine chemically breaks down tooth enamel and causes tooth decay. However, cocaine does often cause involuntary tooth grinding, known as bruxism, which can deteriorate tooth enamel and lead to gingivitis. "Chronic intranasal usage can degrade the cartilage separating the nostrils (the septum nasi), leading eventually to its complete disappearance. Due to the absorption of the cocaine from cocaine hydrochloride, the remaining hydrochloride forms a dilute hydrochloric acid. "Cocaine may also greatly increase this risk of developing rare auto-immune or connective tissue diseases such as lupus, Goodpasture's disease, vasculitis, glomerulonephritis, Stevens-Johnson syndrome and other diseases. It can also cause a wide array of kidney diseases and renal failure. "While these conditions are normally found in chronic use they can also be caused by short-term exposure in susceptible individuals." - --- MAP posted-by: Elaine