Cocaine

Cocaine, despite its relatively high cost to the consumer, is rapidly becoming the preferred drug of an increasing number of affluent drug-users in North and South America and in Europe. The increased production of cocaine and a reduction in market price have enabled a much larger number of people to have access to it. As a consequence, the use of cocaine has spread to Europe and many other countries, making it an international problem (Nahas, 1989). There is no doubt about the seriousness of the problems of cocaine use. Free-base smoking, sniffing, and intravenous injection of cocaine hydrochloride are known to be extremely dangerous habits. Besides the host of physical and psychological effects that cocaine has on the human body, there are the innumerous dangers of the legal and social nature that can endanger the social standing of the cocaine user. In addition to this, there are the obvious dangers that the cocaine user faces when dealing with the "second economy" of the cocaine distribution and crime world. This research will deal with the physical and psychological effects of cocaine use as well as its incidence and costs. In doing so, the problem of addiction will often be reviewed as the worst possible cocaine use situation, as it generally leads to a host of social, psychological, and physical problems. Also to be discussed, is the second economy of the cocaine distribution world as well as the efforts to control it. In conclusion, there will be an overview

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family, general relationships, or even sex. Another result of the physical and mental changes that occur is the gradual move towards associating with other drug-dependent persons, gradually losing touch with friends, colleagues, relatives, and even spouse and dependents. The need to ensure regular supplies of the drug may mean that the user turns to crime to obtain the necessary money after normal means are exhausted. The person may lose their job, drop out of school, run away from home or be thrown out, until finally the only contacts left are the supplier of the drug (Williams, 1989). Because of this problem with the physical and psychological effects of cocaine use, there is a great loss of skilled manpower for the country, especially considering the growing tendency of the skilled middle and upper class to use the drug for recreation. While it is difficult to calculate due to the many variables of the distribution, the cost at any one time varies on the supply and demand of the drug. A good estimate of the cost of a gram of cocaine on the street is about $100 (Shaffer & Jones, 1989, p. 7). When it is understood that the number of people who have tried cocaine at least once has jumped to 21.6 million, one can easily se

Category: Medical - C