Cocaine

Cocaine is a <a href="/facts/Tropane_alkaloid/0TDQJFEn">tropane alkaloid</a> and central nervous system <a href="/facts/Stimulant/nmBdAXM5">stimulant</a> derived primarily from the leaves of two <a href="/facts/Coca/oXhbteWq">coca</a> species native to South America: <a href="/facts/Erythroxylum_coca/oNvn4vPY">Erythroxylum coca</a> and <a href="/facts/Erythroxylum_novogranatense/WnPHAws4">E. novogranatense</a>. Coca leaves are processed into <a href="/facts/Cocaine_paste/8m6gPa1J">cocaine paste</a>; the cocaine base is then typically converted to cocaine hydrochloride (HCl), colloquially known as "cocaine". Once a standard <a href="/facts/Topical_medication/alFfLndS">topical medication</a>, its high abuse potential, adverse effects, and cost have limited its use and led to its replacement by other medicines. "Cocaine and its combinations" are formally excluded from the <a href="/facts/WHO_Model_List_of_Essential_Medicines/6kmu81Xm">WHO Model List of Essential Medicines</a>.
Street cocaine is commonly <a href="/facts/Nasal_administration/W0hvb0gd">snorted</a>, <a href="/facts/Injection_(medicine)/fvkH58gk">injected</a>, or smoked as <a href="/facts/Crack_cocaine/awtuuVsK">crack cocaine</a>, with effects appearing within seconds to minutes and lasting up to 90 minutes depending on the route. It acts pharmacologically as a <a href="/facts/Serotonin%25E2%2580%2593norepinephrine%25E2%2580%2593dopamine_reuptake_inhibitor/Wv218DDF">serotonin–norepinephrine–dopamine reuptake inhibitor</a> (SNDRI), producing reinforcing effects such as <a href="/facts/Euphoria/u4cnbWC4">euphoria</a>, increased <a href="/facts/Alertness/F1SDanRA">alertness</a>, <a href="/facts/Concentration/wqBmz5od">concentration</a>, <a href="/facts/Aphrodisiac/kczbIlgn">libido</a>, and reduced fatigue and <a href="/facts/Anorectic/MuLF8GNo">appetite</a>.
Cocaine has numerous <a href="/facts/Adverse_effect/vAhfbr1J">adverse effects</a>. Acute use can cause <a href="/facts/Vasoconstriction/9hdY0aR2">vasoconstriction</a>, <a href="/facts/Tachycardia/ycmyzP7q">tachycardia</a>, <a href="/facts/Hypertension/wlAvBfcf">hypertension</a>, <a href="/facts/Hyperthermia/WMHlf9j7">hyperthermia</a>, anxiety, irritability, <a href="/facts/Psychosis/cVGd7MKK">psychosis</a>, and seizures, while overdose may lead to <a href="/facts/Stroke/DwpjdzY0">stroke</a>, <a href="/facts/Myocardial_infarction/xoGw0qcG">heart attack</a>, or <a href="/facts/Sudden_cardiac_death/HIAm9AWX">sudden cardiac death</a>. <a href="/facts/Prenatal_cocaine_exposure/7KKKql6J">Prenatal exposure</a> poses risks to fetal development. Chronic use may result in <a href="/facts/Cocaine_dependence/z5YAhpIM">cocaine dependence</a>, withdrawal symptoms, and nasal damage, including <a href="/facts/Cocaine-induced_midline_destructive_lesions/ClkzrUDq">cocaine-induced midline destructive lesions</a>. Cocaine is frequently <a href="/facts/Lacing_(drugs)/drQCWWbz">laced</a> with levamisole to increase bulk. This is linked to <a href="/facts/Vasculitis/rS2rP61A">vasculitis</a> (CLIV) and autoimmune conditions (CLAAS).
Coca cultivation and its subsequent processes occur primarily <a href="/facts/Latin_America/Qmx9Jx2a">Latin America</a>, especially in the <a href="/facts/Andes/a4wlgG3e">Andes</a> of Bolivia, Peru, and Colombia, though cultivation is expanding into <a href="/facts/Central_America/CXKgTuxC">Central America</a>, including Honduras, Guatemala, and Belize. Violence linked to the cocaine trade continues to affect <a href="/facts/Latin_America_and_the_Caribbean/zPofPczL">Latin America and the Caribbean</a> and is expanding into <a href="/facts/Western_Europe/YmWlV59w">Western Europe</a>, <a href="/facts/Asia/4IToYrrQ">Asia</a>, and <a href="/facts/Africa/XkqQUP9s">Africa</a> as <a href="/facts/Transnational_organized_crime/3QvEWYx6">transnational organized crime</a> groups compete globally. Cocaine remains the world’s fastest-growing <a href="/facts/Illegal_drug_trade/eaTugrky">illicit drug market</a>. Coca chewing dates back at least 8,000 years in South America, and prior to <a href="/facts/World_War_II/2efV5L1U">World War II</a>, large-scale production occurred in <a href="/facts/Taiwan/VcJoUD8w">Taiwan</a> and <a href="/facts/Java/2MNA2rLm">Java</a>. Cocaine is now regulated under <a href="/facts/International_drug_control_conventions/VEh24p0p">international drug control conventions</a>, though <a href="/facts/Legal_status_of_cocaine/BeRfKplN">national laws vary</a>: several countries have decriminalized small quantities.

Cocaine open-in-new

Cocaine