What is Cocaine

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=82 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="05bfd523.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>Cape Fear Regional Bureau For Community Action, Inc.</B></FONT><B>     |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Cape Fear Regional Bureau For Community "><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id61.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Frequently Asked Questions"><U><B><IMG SRC="04e0e0e0.png" border=0 width="14" height="14" ALT="up" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  </B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="14" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="14"><B>    </B><A HREF="id67.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="What Is HIV/AIDS Case Management"><U><B><IMG SRC="04d0e0e0.png" border=0 width="14" height="14" ALT="previous" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  </B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="14" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="14"></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.capefearregionalbureauforcommunityactioninc.org/mf.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.capefearregionalbureauforcomm"><U><B>Click Here For Site Map</B></U></A></div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFCC66" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="23fd2993.jpg"> <div> <B>Some things can kill you.</B></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><IMG SRC="15e94c80.jpg" border=0 width="148" height="200" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> </B></div> <div> <B>Blue Rock</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="15f94c80.jpg" border=0 width="148" height="200" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Baggie</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="16094cb0.jpg" border=0 width="148" height="203" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Vials</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="162b6ad0.jpg" border=0 width="182" height="173" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Cocaine</B></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=398 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I><B>What is Cocaine</B></I></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><U>Cocaine Overdose</U></B><B><U> <A NAME="cocaine"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></U></B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Cocaine abuse is a common problem. Some drug awareness groups have identified cocaine as the drug of abuse most commonly involved in emergency room visits (excluding alcohol). In 1988, it was reported as the second most common cause of drug related death.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Cocaine is a naturally occurring plant alkaloid found in the leaves of the Erythroxylon coca plant. Cocaine is produced (in its most common form) through the chemical process of extraction and then purified to the hydrochloride salt (a white powder). The powder can be "cut" with any number of constituents to decrease potency and increase yield. Quinine, talc, strychnine, and arsenic have commonly been used. From this point, it is insufflated or "snorted" intranasally or injected into a vein.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>A more potent form of the alkaloid can be obtained by extracting it in ether (in alkaline solution). This has been referred to as "free-base" or "crack." From there it may be smoked with tobacco in a pipe or cigarette.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>The effects of cocaine are numerous. Symptoms and physical changes include: rapid heart rate (tachycardia), sweating, hypertension, agitation, increased body temperature (hyperpyrexia) and seizures. Large doses may result in Iow blood pressure, Iow heart rate, and coma (unresponsiveness).</B></div> <div> <B>The feelings of euphoria and well being are what the drug user seeks.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Complications of acute cocaine intoxication include: myocardial infarction, stroke, kidney damage, and spontaneous pneumothorax (in those who inhale cocaine vapors). Pneumonia following the use of crack cocaine has been referred to as "crack lung."</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Other risks of cocaine use include a higher incidence of sepsis (blood borne infection), endocarditis (infection of the heart valves), AIDS, hepatitis, osteomyelitis, thrombophlebitis, and aspiration pneumonia. Trauma related injury and death is also higher in this group.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>The treatment of cocaine overdose must also eventually include dealing with the underlying problem of cocaine addiction. Rehabilitation programs are available at many major centers to help the patient through the symptoms of drug withdrawal. Success is directly related to the patient's desire to quit. See your physician for assistance.</B></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>FACTS ABOUT </B><FONT SIZE="7" COLOR="#FF0033" FACE="Tiger Rag LET" ><B>CRACK</B></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B>Crack, a potent offspring of cocaine has produced a drug epidemic swamping already-strained law enforcement agencies and drug rehabilitation centers.  Crack is smokeable cocaine prepackaged in small, ready-to-use amounts.  It can be smoked in a marijuana or tobacco cigarette, in a special glass pipe, or in an empty soft drink or beer can.  Know also as "rock" because of its pebble-like appearance, the drug is called "crack" because of the sound it makes when being smoked.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b7011800000000.png" HEIGHT="19" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">How does crack differ from regular cocaine?</B></div> <div> <B>The cocaine smuggled into the United States from South America and Mexico is distributed to drug dealers in white powdered crystals, known chemically as cocaine hydrochloride.  The once favored method of administering the drug was "snorting" or inhaling he crystals into the nostrils, or by smoking or "freebasing" to achieve a powerful high.  Preparation of cocaine for freebasing required use of a flammable solvent to free the pure cocaine base from its hydrochloride salt.  Crack is preprocessed cocaine that allows the ser to "freebase" without having to prepare the cocaine.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b7011800000000.png" HEIGHT="19" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">How is crack make?</B></div> <div> <B>No sophisticated equipment is needed to process cocaine crystals into crack.  Crack can be processed in a home kitchen using ordinary baking soda to convert the crystals into paste.  After the paste hardens and dries, it is cut into white, beige, or grey chips or chunks, resembling soap or rough gravel.  These crack rocks are sold by dealers in tiny plastic vials for as little as five or ten dollars.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b7011800000000.png" HEIGHT="19" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">How does crack lead to crime?</B></div> <div> <B>Many people addicted to crack turn to crime to support their intense craving for the drug.  Criminal acts also occur because of the particularly vicious and aggressive paranoid behavior that crack produces.  Because it can be easily processed and purchased in small quantities at low cost, the crack trade is a thriving illegal industry.  Drug lords recruit crack dealers from low-income groups, and dealers sell crack openly on street corners.  Teenagers and children are enticed to sell the drug or act as "guards" to warn dealers against narcotics officers.  As a result of the crack activities, violent crimes and murder rates have risen sharply.  Once confined to the cities, the crack trade has  infiltrated small towns and rural areas.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b7011800000000.png" HEIGHT="19" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Why is crack more dangerous than snorted cocaine?</B></div> <div> <B>Every form of cocaine is extremely dangerous, but snorting the drug in powder form can allow the occasional user to take it for several months or even years before becoming addicted.  In contrast, smoking crack brings such an intense and instant high that a user can become addicted in two to three weeks.  In some cases, the user becomes instantly addicted because smoking allows high doses of cocaine to reach the brain almost immediately.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b7011800000000.png" HEIGHT="19" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Who uses crack?</B></div> <div> <B>The crack problem has no socioeconomic or age boundaries.  Although cocaine was once the "glamour drug" of the wealthy and famous, crack has made cocaine affordable to virtually anyone.  Because of the availability and low cost of crack, abuse by middle and high school students is becoming common.  Children as young as twelve have called professional agencies in desperation over crack addiction.  Infants are being born addicted to crack because their mothers used the drug while pregnant.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b7011800000000.png" HEIGHT="19" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">How does crack make a person feel?</B></div> <div> <B>Crack reaches the brain in less than 8 seconds after inhalation.  A small piece produces a 20-minute high also called a rush.  This period of intense euphoria is followed by a crushing depression.  The cycle of ups and downs reinforces a craving for the drugs so powerful that a chemical dependency can develop virtually immediately. As the drug wears off, crack users report intense anxiety about where they can get more crack.  Users also report that they experience feelings of invincibility with intense feelings of self-hatred and deep depression.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b7011800000000.png" HEIGHT="19" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">What are the physical effects of crack?</B></div> <div> <B>The early effects are chronic sore throat, hoarseness, and shortness of breath, leading to bronchitis and emphysema.  The eyes become dilated, and the user may see lights around any object he attempts to focus upon.  The heart rate increases by 50%, and the blood vessels constrict rapidly, raising blood pressure.  Heart attacks, convulsions and strokes may result.  Because of a loss of interest in eating and sleeping, severe weight loss and malnutrition are common.  Users report a sensation of convulsions in the arms and legs as the muscles contract.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b7011800000000.png" HEIGHT="19" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">What are the psychological effects of crack?</B></div> <div> <B>A crack user rapidly progresses through several psychological states:  first euphoria with a feeling of stimulation and excitement, then, as the drug wears off, sadness and depression, followed by irritability, sleeplessness, and paranoia.  Addicted users may experience a schizophrenic-like psychosis, with delusions and hallucinations.  Heavy crack users may have all these stages in one crack "binge."</B></div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b7011800000000.png" HEIGHT="19" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">How can I tell if someone is using crack?</B></div> <div> <B>Although many symptoms are the same as emotional disturbances or a troubled adolescence, drug abuse should be suspected if these danger signals are severe:</B></div> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Definite changes in personality or behavior.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Animosity toward family members and friends.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Loss of concentration.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Altered sleep patterns.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Weight loss.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Loss of interest in appearance.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Association with people know to use drugs.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Lose of household valuables or unexplained vanishing cash.</B></div> <div> <B>Extreme paranoia (suspicious of everyone).</B></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>YOU GOT TO CHECK THESE SITES OUT -- NOW: </B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="http://www.virtualcrack.com/send.shtml" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.virtualcrack.com/send.shtml"><U><B>http://www.virtualcrack.com/send.shtml</B></U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://area51.upsu.plym.ac.uk/infoserv/drugs/graphical/grphcoke.html" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://area51.upsu.plym.ac.uk/infoserv/d"><U><B>http://area51.upsu.plym.ac.uk/infoserv/drugs/graphical/grphcoke.html</B></U></A></div> </td> </tr></table></body>