Understanding Cocaine: Synthesis, Effects and Impact

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Position Paper: Cocaine The following is a picture of the chemical structure for cocaine. “It is synthesized from the leaves of the coca plant to form a paste. This paste is further synthesized and cut with adulterant substances to make it into street-level cocaine that can be injected, snorted or smoked. To make the paste, there is a process of extracting the cocaine that includes the use of toxic chemicals. There are two main ways that the cocaine paste is made: solvent extraction and acid extraction”. Cocaine exerts itself from the ventral tegmental area (VTA), which is located midbrain. “In the communication process, dopamine is released by a neuron into the synapse (the small gap between two neurons), where it binds to specialized proteins (called dopamine receptors)”. This drug is known as an indirect agonist. It’s an indirect agonist because it is a monoamine transporter blocker. The receptor affected by cocaine is the dopamine receptor. It is located in the vertebrate central nervous system. The neurotransmitter dopamine is the primary …show more content…

It is formed by the liver when cocaine and ethanol coexist in the blood. “Cocaethylene is the byproduct of concurrent consumption of alcohol and cocaine as metabolized by the liver”. “Cocaethylene increases the levels of serotonergic, noradrenergic, and dopaminergic neurotransmission in the brain by inhibiting the action of the serotonin transporter, norepinephrine transporter, and dopamine transporter”. It can increase depression making your response stronger to cocaine. You’re also prone to become aggressive with cocaethylene in your system. This mixture can increase heart attack and even lead to a sudden death. Cocaethylene stays in your system longer than cocaine and alcohol. It subjects into your heart and liver for a longer period of stress. Mixing alcohol and cocaine can be fatal up to 12 hours after you’ve taken

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