Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Cocaine & Crack
The lowdown on cocaine & crack risks, effects and law.
Street name: Snow, charlie, "C", coke, rock, stone.
What is it?
Cocaine is a white crystal-like powder without a smell. Cocaine is normally sniffed up the nose through a special tube, or rolled up in a bank note and absorbed into the bloodstream through the nasal membranes. It may also be injected. Cocaine is usually "cut" (mixed) with other substances. The drug is also processed into a smokeable form called crack cocaine (small yellow or white rocks of freebase cocaine and a cheaper version of cocaine) this is usually smoked in a glass pipe or in a cannabis joint.
Effects- what happens when you take cocaine or crack:
• Cocaine is a stimulant, it can possibly make a user feel good and confident, be excited or upset, take more risks than usual, feel more aggressive, be less hungry and feel alert and energetic. Initially the effects of cocaine will lead to a high feeling for the user, but continued use will result in tolerance for the drug. This indicates a highly addictive substance. Tolerance and dependency develops rapidly.
Long-term effects
• Aggression and violence
• Psychosis
• Paranoia, restlessness and confusion
• Anxiety disorders
• Memory problems.
• Hallucination
• Depression, often severe in nature
• Snorting cocaine can cause a stuffy or runny nose and chronic snorting can cause rupture of the membrane in the nose causing bloody noses.
• Cocaine may also harm the health and development of infants born to women who use cocaine during pregnancy.
• Injecting cocaine puts the user at risk of contracting AIDS, bacterial infections, Hepatitis B and other diseases, particularly when injecting equipment is shared.
Risks
• Injecting can damage veins and lead to gangrene.
• Cocaine raises the heart rate and constricts the arteries. The heart has less oxygen than it needs to operate and this may cause a heart attack.
• It increases blood pressure and may cause the blood vessels in the brain to burst causing a stroke.
• Cocaine can disrupt the brain's electrical message to the heart. The heart beats inconsistently and cannot be regulated, resulting in cardiac arrest.
• It’s addictive and because of its powerful effects you can get strong cravings for cocaine. This can lead to you losing control of your drug use.
• You might feel exhausted, anxious or depressed after using cocaine. Regular use can cause sleep loss, weight loss, anxiety and some people develop a paranoid psychosis where they may be violent.
Law
Under Misuse of Drugs Act, it is illegal to produce, possess or supply the drug. It is also illegal to allow premises to be used for producing or supplying cocaine.
First- Aid response
What to do if users experience feelings of fear and panic
• Calm them down and reassure them. Talk quietly to and explain that they are safe and these feelings will pass.
• Keep them away from bright lights and noises.
What to do if the user falls unconscious
• Phone the ambulance immediately. Place them in the recovery position. Check breathing. Be prepared to do mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
• Calm them down and reassure them, talk quietly and explain that they are safe and these feelings will pass.
• Keep them away from bright lights and noises.
• What to do if the user falls unconscious.
• Phone the ambulance immediately. Place them in the recovery position. Check breathing. Be prepared to do mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
Content thanks to YouthHealthNE authors.
See the help section for supportive information and contacts details of support organisations.
