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Neurobiology of cocaine on the brain
Cocaine and the effects on the body and society
Neurobiology of cocaine on the brain
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Pure cocaine is the product of the Erythroxylon coca bush, which is mostly found in South America (NIDA, 2014). In South America the consumption of the coca leaf have been recorded as far back as 3000 B.C. (Warner EA, 1993). The coca leafs only contain about two percent of cocaine and in this form there is few instances of abuse. The rate at which it is absorbed is slow in the digestive system and very little cocaine reaches the bloodstream. When the Spaniards came to the Inca civilization in 1532 the drug allowed the locals to endure a harsh and physically demanding life in the Andes. It was seen as a gift from the god Inti (Inciardi, 2002, pg. 49). Even today those natives of the region chew the coca leaves.
After the conquest of the Inca
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At first the police did not recognize this new rock-like material, but when it was chemically analyzed it revealed to be cocaine as a freebase. The first large-scale use and mass production was in 1984 in Los Angeles. In 1985, crack cocaine was fairly unknown to the majority of the citizens in America but by the time the year ended the news networks had coverage over the outbreak in the drugs usage.
The difference between cocaine and crack cocaine is that crack is more pure than cocaine. When cocaine was sold it was forty-five percent filler such as icing sugar or even other drugs. Crack cocaine however, could be purchased what the same price and be eighty percent pure. This lead to issues with people who had been taking cocaine and switched to crack thinking they could take the equivalent amount. This caused a spike that was nearly double the rate of hospital admissions due to cocaine overdose from the previous in 1983 (rehabs.com,
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It has provided those in South America an aid in dealing with the hard life associated with living in the Andes. It has seen its use in the medical field for helping patients with pain and has been used for recreational enjoyment. The outlook on this drug varies depending on who and where you ask about cocaine. The drug can be highly addictive and cause serve damage through continued use on both the mental and physical aspects of someone. History has taught us that cocaine can lead to violence as well as the personal downfall of someone’s personal life and it should be treated accordingly. Education is the best form of explaining the consequences of cocaine and through that a nation can only strive for their citizens to be
The use of cocaine had reached a worrying numbers in contrast to that of the early 1970s.
The purpose of this research paper is to inform my audience of three primary sections based on biological aspect of the addictive substance cocaine, and its addictive properties. This will include the primary effects on the brain and other organs in the human body. The second section will confer, clinical issues along with medical treatment, future directions of treatment. The third section biological aspects of the addictive substance from a biblical perspective will be discussed. Some areas of interest include freedom and caution for Christian counselor’s based on the addictive substance used.
Crack was a mixture of chemicals and powdered cocaine. It was cooked to form a hard rock like piece of cocaine. Drug dealers found that cooking cocaine in this manner lowered the cost, and made it affordable to a wider group. Crack cocaine quickly grew in popularity. The cheap cost and quick high made it attractive to many drug users.
Grinspoon L, Bakalar JB (1981). Coca and cocaine as medicines: an historical review. J Ethnopharmacol. 1981 Mar-May; 3(2-3):149-59.
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?”).
...imply as a stimulant. Therefore, although cocaine is a stronger stimulant than regular coca, native Andean people prefer to use coca because of its cultural associations, history of use before European interactions and its various other medicinal purposes. In addition, native Andeans are more likely to use coca than cocaine because it is grown close to home and requires less processing. Although European influence existed in the development of cocaine, the people of Latin America were able to maintain the identity of the coca leaf in face of this external influence.
Cocaine (C17H21NO4) comes from the leaf of an Erythroxylon coca bush. It is a drug that effects the central nervous system. It causes feelings of euphoria, pleasure, increased energy and alertness. People under the influence of cocaine often do not feel the need for food or sleep. They also feel energetic and may talk a lot. However, depending on factors such as environment, dosage, and the manner in which the drug is taken, cocaine can have adverse effects such as violent, erratic behavior, dizziness, paranoia, insomnia, convulsions, and heart failure to name a few. Long- term effects of cocaine include, but are not limited to strokes, heart attacks, seizures, loss of memory, and decrease in learning capability (1).
Treatment of heavy users dwarfs both other methods by preventing 110 kilograms of cocaine from being used. This shows that other methods besides jail can have an extremely positive effect on our country. Another graph in the same article shows that although longer sentences can drastically reduce the amount of cocaine used at first, over time it becomes extremely ineffective. This is because as the penalties for the crime become higher, the drug dealers raise their price according to the risk. By increasing the jail time, we are not only locking low risk people up for a long time; we are making drug cartels even more money than they were before.
Crack cocaine is sold more in urban, public, black environments where it is more susceptible for police to monitor drug trafficking.
Methamphetamine created in 1919 in Japan. It went into wide use for both sides during World War II and it was especially used by Japanese pilots before their flights. Once the war was over, leftover storage of Methamphetamine went public resulting in extremely high amounts of abuse with this drug. During the 1950’s this drug was used as a diet aid and was also used in the thought that it helped to fight depression. It was also over used by college students, truck drivers, and athletes because of its easy availability. This pattern increased remarkably in the 1960’s when this drug became more available in an injectable form. The United States Government in the 1970’s made Meth, for most uses, illegal which then resulted in Mexican drug trafficking organizations to set up large labs in California. Today most of this drug that is available comes from Thailand, Myanmar, and China. (History of Methamphetam...
Cocaine, a powdered narcotic derived from the leaves of the cocoa plant, has been a curious participant in the history of several contemporary cultures. Its ubiquity is an outgrowth of its unique and highly effective properties. While cocaine is commonly known as a highly popular recreational drug, its underlying chemical properties, chemical mechanisms, and chemical effects on the human body, offer an understanding of why the drug remains a resilient participant in today’s culture. We explore these chemical characteristics further.
Many people avoid the use of crack because of the harmful chemicals used in creating the drug. One of the reasons why crack became popular is because of not needing to inject the drug hence less risks of being infected by the AIDS virus. Carroll (2000) states cocaine is the most powerful stimulant of natural origin. Most users snort or inject the drug to enable a quicker “high.” Cocaine use brings on many health problems.
Popular drugs during the 70s other than LSD and marijuana, were cocaine and heroin. Cocaine, also known as coke, is produced from the leaves of a coca plant which is found in South America and quickly was a very popular addictive drug. It influenced the recreation of the movie Scarface from the 30s to what most known by the 70s version portrayed by the actor Al Pacino and showed throughout how it had a major effect during the time known as the disco era. Just like marijuana cocaine is an illegal drug and has many different ways of being used such as snorting, or rub it on their gums, cook it to create another form known as crack cocaine and mix it with water to inject it into their
Cocaine originated in 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.
2. Cocaine is derived from the leaves of the cocoa plant and is then further processed to produce the common street drug.