Cocaine

cocen
  • Rock cocaine
  • Stones
  • Crack
  • White
  • Charlie
  • Snow
  • Coke
  • Crack cocaine
  • Sniff
  • Ching
  • Bing
  • Powder
  • Nose candy
  • Bolivian marching powder
  • Rocks
  • Freebase
  • Sniff
  • Ching

Drugs A-Z

Scientific Names: Benzoylmethylecgonine

Generic Names: Cocaine

An example of what Cocaine looks like
As cocaine hydrochloride it is a white powder but as crack it appears as off-white coloured lumps or rocks.

Desired Effects:

  • Euphoria
  • Exhilaration
  • Elation
  • Extreme confidence

Side Effects:

  • Insomnia
  • Increases in heart rate and blood pressure.
  • Loss of appetite
  • Tension, aggression
  • Paranoia
If snorting powder cocaine: 
  • Avoid using cocaine and alcohol together in a session. The risk of death is 18-25 times greater when alcohol and cocaine are used together.
  • Avoid using any other drugs in combination with cocaine or to help you deal with the come down.
  • Take care of your nose; snorting cocaine repeatedly can cause damage to the delicate nasal tissue. Chop powder as fine as possible. Rinse the nose with lukewarm salt water after snorting. Take a break from cocaine if you develop irritation or bleeding in your nose and give your body a chance to recover.
  • Don't share any straws, banknotes, or snorting equipment as this can spread viruses like hepatitis or covid-19. Use a clean straw or make your own tube from unused clean paper.
  • Look after friends in the same way you would want to be looked after.
  • If someone is in trouble call for an ambulance. If they are unconsciousness - put them in the recovery position and then call for an ambulance.
If you are smoking crack:
  • If you have the choice use your own clean glass pipe or pyrex stem, don’t use home-made pipes made from plastic or old cans.
  • Never share pipes or mouth pieces.
  • Clean your pipe and mouthpiece with an alcohol swab.
  • Let the pipe cool down between hits to avoid mouth burns.
  • Only use uncoated aluminium foil to smoke. Available from some needle exchanges.
If you are injecting crack or powdered cocaine: 
  • Never share injecting equipment including spoons, water pots and filters.
  • Ensure you have enough injection equipment. Available for free from Needle Exchanges.
  • Cocaine is an anaesthetic, so can mask pain at the injection site, leading to missed veins and abscesses.
If you are injecting speedballs: 
  • Never share injecting equipment including spoons, water pots and filters.
  • Don’t use alone, there is nobody to help if you OD.
  • Always have Naloxone available. Naloxone will temporarily reverse the effects of any opioids like heroin or methadone in your system.
  • If someone is unconscious, put them in the recovery position and call an ambulance. Look after friends in the same way you would want them to look after you.
Ask for help when you need it: 
  • Take care of yourself physically and mentally; make sure you get enough sleep and eat well daily. The stimulant effects of cocaine can interfere with your sleep patterns and can suppress your appetite. Eating regular healthy meals, getting enough sleep and good hygiene are all important aspects of staying healthy.
  • Physical health can easily slip if you use cocaine frequently, particularly if you are using every day. If your physical health slips it can lead to more serious problems, affecting work and relationships.
  • There is help and advice available for anybody worried about their cocaine use.
short term effects

Short term risks

Tolerance, paranoia, anxiety, overdose (possibly fatal).

desired effects

Desired risks

Euphoria, exhilaration, elation, confidence.

long term effects

Long term risks

Strong psychological dependence, psychosis.

Long term risks:

  • Tolerance
  • Dependence, and withdrawal. Cocaine dependence can develop after even brief periods of regular use. As crack cocaine is more intense, it is thought more likely to lead to chronic dependence.
  • Cocaine can cause a temporary drug related psychosis and trigger episodes in those with who are prone to the illness.
  • Long term snorting of cocaine hydrochloride can cause serious damage to the nose.
  • Long-term crack smoking causes serious damage to the lungs.
  • Injecting crack cocaine carries an increased risk of overdose and sudden death, particularly as it is often injected with heroin, as well as an increased risk of blood borne viruses, infections, and soft tissue damage.

Short term risks:

  • Paranoia
  • Anxiety
  • Seizure
  • Dangerously high blood pressure
  • Stroke
  • Heart attack
  • Sudden death.
    In 2024 there were 1,279 deaths involving cocaine in England and Wales. Deaths are eleven times higher than they were in 2011. 258 of the deaths occurred with alcohol, a common mix for people going out socially. The risk of sudden death is 18-25 times greater when alcohol and cocaine are used together. However, a large proportion of cocaine deaths are likely to involve crack cocaine, as the effects are more intense when the drug is smoked, and it is often injected along with heroin.
Central nervous system stimulant, and appetite suppressant.

Cocaine is a stimulant drug most commonly seen as the white powdered form, cocaine hydrochloride. Crack cocaine is the free base smokable form of the drug seen in the UK. Crack is small off-white-coloured lumps or ‘rocks’.
Cocaine hydrochloride powder is usually snorted up the nose. Although some people do smoke cocaine hydrochloride much of the drug is burnt and wasted if it is taken in this way. Crack cocaine is often smoked as it evaporates at a much lower temperature compared to hydrochloride. Crack cocaine is often smoked in combination with heroin, or they are injected together in a syringe, known as a ‘speedball’. However, the average purity of powdered cocaine (hydrochloride) is at an all time high. This has led to some long-term injectors in some areas to inject powdered cocaine rather than crack cocaine.
If snorted: razor blade, hard level surface (such as a mirror or glass), tube or rolled banknote.

If injected: needles & syringes, water, swabs.

If smoked: tinfoil, matches/lighter, crack pipe (bong) either commercially manufactured in glass/ pyrex or home-made from a drinks can or glassware.
As a local anaesthetic.
The coca plant has been cultivated in South America for thousands of years. Peru, Bolivia, and Colombia are still the main source of cocaine production today. The coca leaf is processed into a paste before being further processed to form cocaine hydrochloride which is then exported. At some point cocaine hydrochloride may be adulterated or “cut” with various powdery fillers to increase its weight. Levamisole has become one of the most common cutting agents. Levamisole is used to kill worms in livestock and can enhance the effect of cocaine, however it can also cause serious toxic reactions.
Most areas of the UK have ‘street agencies’ or projects (sometimes called community drug services or community drug teams) which offer a range of services including information and advice, counselling, needle exchanges and sometimes support groups and complementary therapies such as acupuncture. The increase in stimulant use has led to some agencies offering specialist counselling, cognitive behaviour therapy, acupuncture and other alternative therapies and prescribing of anti-depressants, and also possible referral to residential rehabilitation. Some services have extended working hours and may offer weekend support. GPs and possibly the local hospital A&E department can make referrals to specialist drug services as well as general medical services, information and advice often in partnership with a drug agency or Drug Dependency Unit.

Parents & other relatives

Drug agencies also provide lots of advice and support to parents of people using these drugs. Many street agencies can provide relative support groups or counselling for family members, partners etc.

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