Cocaine

Page contents

• Other Names
• How's it taken?
• Effects
• Legal Status

Related links

• Government drugs website

Summary

• The multi-stage chemical process to achieve a 90% pure, white cocaine hydrochloride powder is usually carried out near the
• source of production and includes the use of, among other things, sulphuric acid, petrol, potassium, permanganate, ammonia and kerosene.
• It is often wrapped in small packets of paper or cling film

Other names include

• coke, snow, charlie, C

How is it taken?

• Cocaine is a white powder that can be snorted up the nose (usually through a tube or rolled-up bank note).
• Some users dissolve it in water and inject it.
• It is sometimes injected with heroin – a combination known as a ‘speedball’.

Effects

• Cocaine is a powerful stimulant.
• The buzz creates a sense of well-being, making users feel alert and confident.
• The effects last roughly 30 minutes.
• It can make people feel uptight and panicky.
• It can also make them feel sick and stop them sleeping properly.
• After the effects have worn off, they can feel very tired and depressed.
• Users are often left craving more.
• People may also take more to delay the comedown (tiredness and depression).
• The powerful anaesthetic effect, and the frequency with which people sometimes inject, means that injecting cocaine often results in considerable vein damage.

Legal status

• It is a class A drug
• Possession: 7 years’ prison and/or fine
• Possession with intent to supply, or supply: life imprisonment and/or fine