Cocaine

Cocaine is classified as a stimulant and is derived from the dried leaves of the coca plant. It used in a variety of forms:

  • Inhaled (snorted)
  • Smoked (crack, freebase)
  • Injected

The intensity and duration of the “high” experienced from the use of cocaine are impacted upon how it is administered

As a means by which to extend or “chase” the desired effect, a user will often take the drug repeatedly over a short period, with increasingly higher dosage levels. This practice and the use of the drug over time may lead to a variety of legal, social/interpersonal, financial, and medical/physical consequences, including the following:

  • Engaging in criminal activity to support habit/addiction
  • Incarceration
  • Loss of personal relationships
  • Loss of employment
  • Poverty
  • Paranoia
  • Malnutrition
  • Cardiac arrest and stroke
  • Sexually transmitted disease due to associated promiscuous behavior