How Does Cocaine Affect Society

Cocaine, a narcotic drug that took the entire world by storm in the 1980’s, has continued to find it’s way into countries all over the world. The drug is a highly addictive stimulant that is extracted from the leaves of the Erythroxylon coca bush, which is indigenous to the Andean highlands of South America. It comes in two main forms, powder and crystalline, also known as “crack” (“Cocaine Use and Its Effects”). Although the short term effects of cocaine seem somewhat harmless, the long term effects are devastating and have ruined the lives of many users. The short and long term effects of cocaine can be seen on Ishmael Beah, and his companions in the novel A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah.

First of all this research paper will examine the history of cocaine, answer exactly who used it, effects of the drug and its addictive nature. People choose to write about cocaine so that others can clearly see and understand its historical origins and dangerous properties. Those who experiment with drugs should become aware of their dangerous effects and take caution. The more people that become knowledgeable about cocaine, the more they can protect themselves from seriously endangering themselves. Cocaine users that are seriously dependent on the drug can seek treatment and rehabilitate. Most cocaine users do not realize they have a problem until it becomes too late. Much like the alcoholic, a cocaine dependent’s body

Crack cocaine has been popular since the 1970s and mid 1980s. Crack cocaine is not a new drug; this drug is obtained from coca plant which grows mainly in South America. For many years, the native South American Indians chewed its leaves to develop strength and increased energy. By the 1800s, the cocaine was secluded from its leaves and used as a medicinal drug. By the late 1800s, it was used as an anesthetic and to avert surgical hemorrhage. The next century, people recognized crack cocaine an addictive narcotic and its non-medical use of the drug was ended by the Harrison Narcotics Act in 1914 (“How crack cocaine works?”).

Cocaine is a naturally occurring substance deriving from the Erythroxylum coca plant. The coca plant is autogenous to Indonesia, South America, Mexico and the West Indies. Historically, many cultures have utilized coca leaves for religious and ceremonial applications. Cocaine itself remains prevalent in literary and artist works of many cultures and continues to be represented in archeological finds around the world. In South America the leaves were often chewed to help the indigenous tribes overcome hunger. To many other civilizations it was considered a sacred gift from the gods. Cocaine was often used as local anesthetic for a plethora of ailments.

The coca leaf does not yield the potency to deliver any type of overwhelming effect. The coca leaf in natural form gives the similar effect that a well caffeinated cup of coffee would (Arts and Entertainment Network). It wasn’t until Albert Niemann, a German scientist, extracted and processed the coca leaf ingredients, would it become a potent drug. In 1860, Niemann would rename the results of his extraction, cocaine (Arts and Entertainment Network).

Cocaine originated from South America, from coca leaves. Originally, the coca leaves were chewed by workers to decrease fatigue, improve endurance and have a greater resistance to the cold. This was to benefit the workers so they could work longer hours and be more productive. In 1855 the active ingredient in cocaine was isolated from the leaves, and in 1880 it was used as a local anesthetic (Nunes,2006). It was also used in coca cola. In 1855, coca cola was a soda beverage that contained sixty milligrams of cocaine for every eight ounces of the beverage. The idea behind this was to give people energy and a sense of well being (Nunes, 2006). By the late 1880s Sigmund Freud was using cocaine regularly and was even recommending it to others.

One of the most detrimental and addictive narcotics in the world today is cocaine. Cocaine dates back as early as 3000 BC. Ancient Incas used the coca leaves to counter the effects of living in thin mountain air. Native Peruvians in the 1500’s chewed the plant strictly for religious ceremonies. Andean Indians are believed to chew the leaves of the coca plant to increase their energy for work while decreasing their hunger and pain. It wasn’t until 1859 when a German chemist Albert Niemann successfully extracted the narcotic from the coca leaf. In the 1880’s, it was freely prescribed by physicians for “maladies as exhaustion, depression, and morphine addiction and was available in many patent medicines” (“Cocaine”), until users and doctors began to realize its dangers and side effects. While it was not fully understood at the time, cocaine has many devastating and lasting effects on the user.

It is composed of many functional groups, which explain for the different types of functions. Cocaine has an educational background both in science and in history. It has been used recreationally throughout history and made its way to the European continent and other areas after the European colonized in South America. The native people of South America used to chew on coca leaves to extract the compound and use it as a source for energy and power to complete daily tasks. There is also evidence of the natives using this coca leave for medicine. The medicine component behind cocaine dates back to centuries ago. The skeletal remains show that some people used to chew on it as they were going through a medical procedure. These people had residue left in their cheekbones, and there was a hole in their skull. This signified that the people went through a medical procedure to get treatment for brain illnesses. The ones without these holes show that it was being used recreationally. It has a rich, detailed scientific background as many people sought to uncover the pure substance. Uncovering the pure substance only lead to further advancement in medicine; Cocaine was being used as a local anesthetic. People further went on to create derivatives of cocaine, which are the more popular anesthetics used in medicine right now. Some of these anesthetics include Benzocaine and Lidocaine. These anesthetics are typically used to treat ulcers. Cocaine, today, seems to be more of a social issue due to numerous people abusing the drug and getting addicted. It is evident that there are beneficial and detrimental uses of the drug. Cocaine can cause harm when it is abused or used in the wrong way. It can lead to serious complications and consequences. However, Cocaine also has great application in the medical field. It can be used as a good way and lead to many

Cocaine also known as crack cocaine is a stimulant drug, a stimulant raises one’s heart rate, attention and awareness and breathing. Stimulants were used to treat respiratory issues but is now prescribed for individuals with ADHD. In the 1800’s is when cocaine began to be seen as an addicting substance due it’s mood-altering effects on one’s brain. Cocaine can be inhaled through a pipe, when in powder form it can be snorted, and some individuals inject the drug into their bloodstream through intermuscular or intravenously. Individuals that use cocaine repeatedly use the drug within a short time span between each time used so that the euphoric high stays longer. The effects that cocaine has on the central nervous system is so

Cocaine is one of the most euphoric, exciting, fun substances in the world - and also the most dangerous. It creates the perfect feeling, the invincible high. It is so strong and has so many beneficial qualities that it was once called the miracle drug, but the miracle drug has its downsides too. The miracle drug is dangerous. The miracle drug is deadly. Cocaine is a highly addictive and dangerous drug that alters the mind and body of humans of all ages and consequently changes their entire thought process. It chemically alters the mind, increases the physical ability of people (while also destroying their bodies) and morphs their entire mental state into something great (while also turning them into paranoid schizophrenics).

The coca leaf was used by the ancient Incas in the Andes 3000 B.C. They chewed it to help they survived in the thin mountain air. In the 15th century, the Indian laborers in Spanish silver mines were kept supplied with coca leaves because it made them easier to control and exploit. In 1859, a German chemist named Albert Niemann extracted cocaine from the coca leaves. Then, Sigmund Freud, an Austrian psychoanalyst, used cocaine to cure depression and sexual impotence. He prescribed his patients to use it, and one of them died from a high dosage he prescribed. From 1886 to 1903, Cocaine was used as an ingredient in Coca-Cola. Cocaine became more popular; people of all social classes used it, included inventor Thomas Edison and actress Sarah Bernhardt. In 1912, the United States government reported 5,000 cocaine-related deaths in one year and by 1922, the drug was officially banned. So in the late 1970s, a lot of Colombian drug traffickers began bringing cocaine into the US, Europe, and Asia. From 2008, cocaine had become the second most trafficked illegal drug in the world.

Cocaine is also used in the medical field. It is used as a numbing agent in some surgeries and also used to decrease bleeding in some nasal surgeries. Some of the wanted effects of illegal cocaine are increased energy, feelings of euphoria, and elevated mood, while some of the unwanted effects are not as good. Some include restlessness, anxiety, panic, and paranoia.

The substance of cocaine has affected the people in a negative way, causing the government to ban the substance and making it illegal for anyone who uses the illegal drug. John Brooks, PhD and MD states information about the making of cocaine and how it came about, “in the late 1800 's cocaine was introduced to the US and it was consumed by dissolving in a fluid and either drinking or injecting it… crack is created by mixing the hydrochloride form of cocaine with baking soda and water and then evaporating the water.” The product cocaine comes in two different forms, powder and crack, but are the same substance. Cocaine really originated from coca trees, Cocaine is extracted from the coca plant (Erythroxyium coca from South America accounts for 95% of worldwide productions). Influences from South America introduced cocaine into the U.S. The existence of cocaine, formed from a single plant devastated America and would later increase prison populations. Although, prisons were split by age, crime, and sex, another factor formed; cocaine. Cocaine is presented as a powder and crack and has two different sentences depending on its form, although they are the same drug.

Unadulterated cocaine is separated from the leaf of the Erythroxylon coca shrub discovered for the most part in South America(Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia). The coca leaf, the utilization of which goes back to no less than 3000 BC, has for some time been used for its capacity to help vitality, mitigate exhaustion, and reduce hunger. Coca leaves have additionally been utilized as a part of teas and at one time were joined in drinks, for example, Coca Cola. As cocaine's prominence expanded in the 1880s and 1890s, reports of habit developed, and the potential damage from the medication was soon perceived. Subsequently, the Harrison Narcotic Act of 1914 was gone to forbid the importation of cocaine and coca leaves, except for pharmaceutical employments.

As mentioned, cocaine is a substance that increases levels of nervous activity within the body. There are multiple routes of administration including orally, intravenously, intranasally, or one can smoke this substance (Maisto et al., 2013). Smoking cocaine achieves a higher concentration far more quickly than through the intranasal route and is associated with greater tendency for dependence (Kiluk, Babuscio,Nich, & Carroll, 2013). Once the cocaine is administered, and depending on the form of administration, there is usually a lag in time before the user begins to feel the effects of the drug. These effects include, but are not limited to, increased heart rate, blood pressure, and respiratory rate, blood flow decreases to the internal organs and increases to the large muscle groups and the brain, body temperature is elevated, pupils are dilated, and cocaine acts as an appetite-suppressant (Maisto et al., 2013).