53 lines
2.7 KiB
Plaintext
53 lines
2.7 KiB
Plaintext
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THE HIGHS AND LOWS OF COCAINE HYDROCHLORIDE
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AKA: coke, charlie, white.
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Price: £50-£70 a gramme.
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Form: white powder which can be snorted, smoked(mixed with tobacco or pure
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- freebasing), injected or rubbed on teeth or gums.
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Duration of high: 30-60 minutes.
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History: chewing of leaves from the coca bush (Erythraxylon coca) by South
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Americans dates back to 2500BC at least. To the Incas the leaf was divine
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and was used in religious ceremonies and for medical purposes. Cocaine only
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really took of in Europe in the mid-nineteenth century when a German
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chemists Freidrich Gaedake and Albert Niemann isolated the main alkaloid of
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the coca leaf and it became known as cocaine. Said to be a wonder drug, it
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was used in medicines, alcoholic and soft drinks and could be bought over
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the counter in pure form. Vin Mariani was wine produced in the latter part
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of the nineteenth century, containing extracts of coca leaves(endorsed by
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the likes of the Tsar of Russia, Sarah Bernhardt and the then Prince of
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Wales, later Edward VII)and, in 1886, Coca-Cola was launched on to the
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market. It contained cocaine until 1903 and still contain de-cocainised
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extracts from the coca plant. The sale of cocaine was only made illegal in
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America in 1914 and in this country in 1917.
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Highs: in the short term, cocaine makes you feel you can rule the world.
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Users experience increased feelings of well being, excitement, pleasure,
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confidence and energy. The drug also reduces the need to sleep or eat and
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is relatively subtle so, witnessed by the untrained eye, behavioural
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changes will largely go unnoticed.
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Lows: cocaine increases breathing rate and raises blood pressure, heart
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rate and body temperature. A small number of people have developed severe
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respiratory problems and some of these users have died; other complain of
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over-stimulation. Although for may years cocaine was thought to be only
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psychologically rather than physically addictive, it is now believed that
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prolonged use will lead to physical dependency. Although tolerance does not
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increase with long-term use euphoria is often replaced by restlessness,
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hypersensitivity, nausea, insomnia and weight loss. In some users, cocaine,
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even in small amounts, can cause feelings of anxiety and/or aggression and
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irritability. As with amphetamines, cocaine overdose is extremely rare.
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Symptoms include extreme over-stimulation, racing pulse or palpitations,
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severe chest pains, difficulty breathing, shaking sweating, muscle spasms
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and general stiffness.
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Tips: a mild sedative can sometimes alleviate unpleasant reactions to
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cocaine. Never share needles if injecting because of the risk of AIDS.
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From the magazine TimeOut No. 1239 May 18-25 1994
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Typed by Dr. Benway |