Crack Cocaine Use in the US

The United States is in the midst of the second major drug epidemic of its history. The current epidemic began about 1965 and continues to the present; the first epidemic lasted from about 1885 to 1915. In both, cocaine use was at first considered to be relatively harmless. During the late 19th century, drugs such as cocaine, morphine, and heroin were unregulated and readily available to the public in the form of patent medicines. Drug use per capita reached its peak in the United States during this period (DHHS, 1991, p. 3). Widespread abuse of cocaine and other drugs led to restrictions of their use by the beginning of the 20th century. Increasing public concern resulted in the Prohibition era, in which alcohol and cocaine were singled out for cont

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ion, crack cocaine poses a bigger threat to users than any other drug, heroin included. The craving for crack cocaine is so powerful that the user abandons all other pursuits as meaningless in favor of obtaining a high: "Heavy crack cocaine users often forgo food and sleep to stay high, and they frequently suffer malnutrition and exhaustion as a result" (DHHS, 1991, pp. 6-7). Crack cocaine use produces intense feelings of euphoria because the drug has a direct effect on the pleasure centers of the brain. This effect lessens as drug tolerance occurs, necessitating greater quantities of crack. Concurrent with the pleasurable effects, violence and psychotic symptoms plague the crack user. These characteristics and symptoms include the following: suicidal thoughts, threats to others, injury to others, thought disorders, paranoia, depression, auditory hallucinations, and irritability (DHHS, 1991, p. 66). Cocaine is a stimulant which interferes with central nervous system functioning. Cocaine use leads to increased heart rate and blood pressure, and sweating. The medical consequences of crack cocaine stimulation include seizures, stroke, heart attack, lung disease, and even death. Since some forms of crack are injected, the
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Approximate Word count = 2268
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page)

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