Raili Brush

Jeff Yancey

Health 1050

15 April 2020

Cocaine

Cocaine is a stimulant drug derived from the coca plant. Coca plants like warm, high

altitude, humid climates specifically, the mountains in south america. (Cambpell) Cocaine has

many street names that include: Blow, Coke, Crack and Snow. (DEA)

Cocaine is the second most trafficked illegal drug in the world. It is one the most potent, most

dangerous and one of the oldest stimulants of natural origin. Because it is illegal, international

seizures of cocaine have totaled to be 833 US tons. Of which, mainly were seized in south

america. (drug free world facts) Cocaine found in the United States generally comes from

Columbia, whilst Peru and Bolivia are the major suppliers for European Countries. (Campbell)

Before the coca plant is considered cocaine, it has to go through a chemical process to

turn it into the powder that we have all seen in movies. Cocaine is usually a white crystallized

powder. It is often “cut” or diluted with another substance. Cocaine is sometimes cut with

another substance to alter the intoxicative effects. For example, it can be cut with levamisole

because it is believed to increase the psychoactive effect of cocaine. 69% of cocaine smuggled

into the United States is laced or cut with levamisole (Uribe)

Before cocaine was discovered, Native Peruvians would chew coca leaves during religious

rituals. (Drug Free World) Cocaine was first discovered by the German scientist named Albert
Niemann in 1859. Since then, the drug has been (and still is) used as a numbing agent or topical

anesthetic. Before it was used as a recreational drug, it was also used as a food additive. Coca

was added to wine and Coca-cola. It was used in the popular soda until 1903 when laws changed,

requiring Coca-cola to alter their recipe to remove the cocaine. (Campbell)

In the film “Cocaine Captains” people were given a first hand look at what it takes to get

cocaine from one place to another. The cocaine began its journey in Knysna, South Africa. It is

known for its beautiful shores and is a hotspot for tourists. The film begins with three men

arriving in Knysna to go on a “fishing trip”. They pay 700,000 dollars cash for a boat that can go

on long trips without returning to shore. Their plan is to meet a large cargo ship, the ship will

throw barrels full of cocaine into the sea, and the three men will have to find and pick the barrels

up. Once they spot the barrels floating in the water, they use a hook to reach out and grab them.

In the barrels is 1,716 kilograms of pure uncut cocaine. Which adds up to be over 100 million

USD. It took the three men five days at sea while they waited for the ship to drop the drugs.

Upon returning to Kynsna they were caught by police who had been tipped off by neighbors

around the port. However, only two individuals arrived back on the boat, the third man, Sean

Packerysammy had gotten off prior. He has prior conviction for smuggling. This was a story of

the lengths drug lords will go to to get their cargo smuggled into countries. Spending lots of

money in order to make more money. Finding loopholes in places that do not have adequate

records for people that come in and out.

Cocaine became wildly popular in the 1970’s. It was seen as a new drug for entertainers

and business people as it gave people energy and kept them awake and alert. Cocaine became

known as a rich man’s drug because it was priced so high. People continued to use it
recreationally because it was thought to be a safe drug to use. However, it has been discovered

that it has adverse effects on individuals with asthma, birth defects and other issues during

pregnancy. By the mid 80’s, it is estimated that six million Americans were regularly using

cocaine as it was a status symbol because of how expensive it was. (Campbell) Fast forward 30

years, in the 2010’s about 400 million dollars worth of cocaine was produced in Columbia every

week. (Campbell) Cocaine is considered a Schedule II Drug under the controlled substances act,

this means that the drug is known to be extremely addictive and has a high possibility to be

abused however, it is still legal to use medically as a topical anesthetic though it is not often used

as other substances have taken its place (DEA)

When taken, individuals experience a euphoric feeling. It is usually snorted or injected. When

snorted, it remains in the powder form it is received in. When injected, the user must dissolve it in water.

When it is snorted, it has a slower onset that it does when injected. When snorted, the euphoric feeling is

generally lesser than when it is injected. When a user injects it into his muscles or veins, the cocaine

reaches his brain much quicker, and he should have a more intense euphoria. People who use it regularly

build up a tolerance which develops quickly. (DEA)

People who use cocaine usually experience high blood pressure increased heart rate,

dilated pupils, insomnia and loss of appetite (DEA)

Overdosing on cocaine can lead to paralysis, coma, strok, cardiopulmonary arrest even death. In

fact, more than 50% of drug related deaths in the United States are due to cocaine abuse. (Uribe)

When cocaine is taken during pregnancy, a majority of babies were born prematurely and

required to be in the NICU. They also had physical malformations and were often abandoned by

their mother. (Uribe)

 Major risk factors for individuals who begin using cocaine include; social status, family

history, mental illness, social pressure, stress, unemployment and a personal history of child

abuse.

A study done by Bertha Lidia Nuno-Gutierrez determined that the top factors for drug use

are; access to the drug, drug users in the family or friends, peer approval, perception of low risk

and being in a negative mindset. Many young individuals felt as though nothing would go wrong

if they were to use drugs. Adolescents who did not use drugs (or were at lower risk for using

drugs) were found to have more motivation, a higher interest in school, defined academic goals

and higher self-esteem. In this study of students who used drugs, 90% of the teenagers surveyed

had a background of alcohol abuse by family members. Other factors considered were drug

abuse by a family member, substance abuse, friend/family relationships and mental health were

major factors in their own reasons for using drugs. (Gutierrez)

In another article, by John A Cunningham a study was done to figure out why individuals

stopped​ using drugs. Surprisingly a few factors that played into their stopping were similar to

why people ​started​ using in the previous article. Factors that caused these individuals to change

included, health problems, family problems, family or friends, financial problems or other life

experiences. The people in this article who had previously used cocaine were most motivated to

stop using to gain self-control and because of social influence. (Cunningham)

Cocaine is the second most used drug in Europe. People ages 15-34 an estimated 7.5

million have used cocaine at least once in their lifetime, 3.5 million in the last year and 1.5

million in the past month (drug free world drug facts) In the United States, a 2006 survey

revealed that 35.3 million Americans older than 12 have used cocaine, of those 35.3 million, 2.4
million have used in the last year. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health

(NSDUH) 1.949 million people used cocaine in the United States in 2018, whereas in 2011 there

were 1.369 users. This 42% increase in users also meant there were more deaths due to cocaine

overdoses.

According to a 2018 release from the White House, coca harvesting and cocaine

production in Columbia is leveling off. In a year time span (2017-2018) cultivation of the coca

plant went from 209,000 hectares to 208,000, decreasing by just 13 metric tons. Though these

numbers are very high, it is the first time in six years that the crop did not increase. (Office of

National Drug Control Policy) On March 5th of 2020, the White House Office of National Drug

Control Policy (ONDCP) and the United States Department of State’s Bureau of International

Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) had a conversation with the Government of

Columbia to create a plan to reduce coca cultivation and cocaine production by 50% by the end

of 2023. They plan on doing so by increasing coca eradication and cocaine interdiction, meaning,

they plan to destroy coca farms to stop further growth of coca and stop cocaine from being

transported. They expect this to work by improving security and giving the farmers who produce

the coca other opportunities to make money. The ONDCP also released their estimated coca

cultivation from 2019, 212,000 hectare, up only 4,000 hectares from 2018.
 Works Cited

“Cocaine Captains (2014).” ​Tubi,​ 1 Jan. 2014,

tubitv.com/movies/463980/cocaine_captains.

Nuno-Gutiérrez, Bertha Lidia, et al. “Why Do Adolescents Use Drugs? A Common

Sense Explanatory Model from the Social Actor’s Perspective.” ​Adolescence,​ vol. 41, no. 164,

Winter 2006, pp. 649–665. ​EBSCOhost,​

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eft&AN=507940172&site=eds-live.

Cunningham, John A., et al. “Why Do People Stop Their Drug Use - Results from a

General Population Sample.” ​Contemporary Drug Problems​, vol. 26, no. 4, 1999, pp. 695–710.

EBSCOhost​,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edshol&AN=edshol.hein.journals.condp26.43

&site=eds-live.

Uribe, LM, PharmD, MLIS, and AL, RN, BSN Karakashian. “Substance Abuse:

Cocaine.” ​CINAHL Nursing Guide,​ edited by RN, PhD, FAAN Pravikoff D, June 2018.

EBSCOhost​,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nup&AN=T701414&site=eds-live.

Office of National Drug Control Policy Report

“International Statistics”

https://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/cocaine/international-statistics.html

“Cocaine.” ​DEA,​ ​www.dea.gov/factsheets/cocaine​.

Botero, Elisa. "Coca Production, Deforestation and Climate Change." ​Earth Institute at

Columbia University​, 24 Mar. 2010,

blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2010/03/24/coca-production-deforestation-and-climate-change/. Accessed

3 Apr. 2017.

"Coca: Production & Distribution." ​Drug Enforcement Administration Museum​,

www.deamuseum.org/ccp/coca/production-distribution.html. Accessed 3 Apr. 2017.

Fenton, Siobhan. "Scientists Discover What Cocaine Does to the Brain to Make It So Addictive."

Independent​, 3 Aug. 2016,

www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/cocaine-effects-on-body-brai

n-why-is-it-so-addictive-scientists-study-addiction-drugs-a7169556.html. Accessed 31 Mar.

2017.

"Find a Vitamin or Supplement: Coca." ​WebMD,​

www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-748-coca.aspx?activeingredientid=748

&. Accessed 31 Mar. 2017.

Hamblin, James. "Why We Took Cocaine Out of Soda." ​Atlantic​, 31 Jan. 2013,

www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/01/why-we-took-cocaine-out-of-soda/272694/.

Accessed 31 Mar. 2017.

"History: The Origins of Coca." ​Drug Enforcement Administration Museum​,

www.deamuseum.org/ccp/coca/history.html. Accessed 31 Mar. 2017.

Ismatullayev, Otabek. "Habitat." ​University of Wisconsin BioWeb​,

bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/2011/ismatull‗otab/habitat.htm. Accessed 3 Apr. 2017.

"New Report" Peru Coca Crop Continues To Decline in 2015." ​United Nations Office on Drugs

and Crime​, 13 July 2016,

www.unodc.org/unodc/en/frontpage/2016/July/new-report‗-peru-coca-crop-continues-to-decline

-in-2015.html. Accessed 3 Apr. 2017.

Tegel, Simeon. "Coca: The Plant That Feeds Peru." ​Independent​, 18 Oct. 2013,

www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/coca-the-plant-that-feeds-peru-8890263.html.

Accessed 3 Apr. 2017.

Yagoub, Mimi. "Peru Coca Cultivation Lowest in 15 Years: UN." ​InSight Crime,​ 14 July 2016,

www.insightcrime.org/news-analysis/peru-coca-cultivation-lowest-in-15-years-un. Accessed 3

Apr. 2017.