What+is+Cocaine?

Cocaine is a highly addictive stimulant that directly affects the brain while labelled being one of the oldest psychoactive substances in the world. It creates the most psychological dependence of any drug. Powder cocaine is a hydrochloride Salt derived from processed extracts of the leaves on the coca plant which grew fundamentally in Peru and Bolivia. The leaves from the coca plant have been chewed and ingested for thousands of years. The purified chemical (cocaine hydrochloride) has been abused by the population for over a 100 years. Because of its high potential of abuse it can only now be legally used for medical purposes such as local anaesthesia, or to numb the lining of the mouth, nose, and throat before certain procedures. It also decreases the swelling of bleeding that can occur during a procedure. Cocaine can be mainly sold on the streets as a fine white crystallized powder. It is also known by its street names “blow,” “snow,” or “flake.” Two types of chemical forms cocaine can be abused with is the water-soluble hydrochloride salt which is the powered form. This can be used by injecting or snorting. The second form of cocaine is a processed base containing ammonia or baking soda and water. It is then heated to remove the hydrochloride to produce a substance that can be inhaled. This term is referred as “crack cocaine.”