Pure cocaine is a crystalline powder derived from the leaves of the coca plant. It is uncut and unadulterated by other substances. In 1995 the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) announced in a press release the publication of the results of the largest global study on cocaine use ever undertaken. An American representative in the World Health Assembly banned the publication of the study, because it seemed to make a case for the positive uses of cocaine. An excerpt of the report strongly conflicted with accepted paradigms, for example, "that occasional cocaine use does not typically lead to severe or even minor physical or social problems." In the sixth meeting of the B committee, the US representative threatened that "If World Health Organization activities relating to drugs failed to reinforce proven drug control approaches, funds for the relevant programs should be curtailed". This led to the decision to discontinue publication. A part of the study was recuperated and published in 2010, including profiles of cocaine use in 20 countries, but are unavailable as of 2015 [update]. [187] Donroe JH, Tetrault JM (July 2017). "Substance Use, Intoxication, and Withdrawal in the Critical Care Setting". Critical Care Clinics (Review). 33 (3): 543–558. doi: 10.1016/j.ccc.2017.03.003. PMID 28601134. Parents and carers should be aware of sudden, unexplained illness in young children, particularly if they're drowsy or unconscious, because poisoning could be the cause. Medicalization "Cocaine toothache drops", 1885 advertisement of cocaine for dental pain in children Advertisement in the January 1896 issue of McClure's Magazine for Burnett's Cocaine "for the hair" Bottle of cocaine solution, Germany, circa 1915

Niemann described every step he took to isolate cocaine in his dissertation titled Über eine neue organische Base in den Cocablättern ( On a New Organic Base in the Coca Leaves), which was published in 1860 and earned him his Ph.D. He wrote of the alkaloid's "colourless transparent prisms" and said that "Its solutions have an alkaline reaction, a bitter taste, promote the flow of saliva and leave a peculiar numbness, followed by a sense of cold when applied to the tongue." Niemann named the alkaloid "cocaine" from "coca" (from Quechua "kúka") + suffix "ine". [163] [164] Stronger, more frequent doses can also cause long-term changes in your brain’s chemistry. Your body and mind begin to rely on the drug. This can make it harder for you to think, sleep, and recall things from memory. Your reaction time may be slower. And you’re at risk for more heart, stomach, and lung problems. Treatment Fandiño AS, Toennes SW, Kauert GF (2002). "Studies on hydrolytic and oxidative metabolic pathways of anhydroecgonine methyl ester (methylecgonidine) using microsomal preparations from rat organs". Chemical Research in Toxicology. 15 (12): 1543–1548. doi: 10.1021/tx0255828. PMID 12482236. a b c d O'Leary ME, Hancox JC (May 2010). "Role of voltage-gated sodium, potassium and calcium channels in the development of cocaine-associated cardiac arrhythmias". British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. 69 (5): 427–42. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2125.2010.03629.x. PMC 2856043. PMID 20573078.

Estimated usage

World Drug Report 2021: Booklet 4 (PDF). [S.l.]: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. 2021. p.35. ISBN 978-92-1-148361-1. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 June 2021.

Nordegren T (2002). The A-Z Encyclopedia of Alcohol and Drug Abuse. Universal-Publishers. p.461. ISBN 978-1-58112-404-0. When used in moderation, cocaine can make the user feel energized and talkative. In large amounts, it can lead to increasingly erratic and violent behavior.Topical cocaine is sometimes used as a local numbing agent and vasoconstrictor to help control pain and bleeding with surgery of the nose, mouth, throat or lacrimal duct. Although some absorption and systemic effects may occur, the use of cocaine as a topical anesthetic and vasoconstrictor is generally safe, rarely causing cardiovascular toxicity, glaucoma, and pupil dilation. [37] [38] Occasionally, cocaine is mixed with adrenaline and sodium bicarbonate and used topically for surgery, a formulation called Moffett's solution. [39] The high from cocaine use is short-lived. The immediate crash and physiological damage from cocaine abuse lasts much longer. Transgenic mice exhibiting inducible expression of ΔFosB primarily in the nucleus accumbens and dorsal striatum exhibit sensitized behavioural responses to cocaine. [87] They self-administer cocaine at lower doses than control, [88] but have a greater likelihood of relapse when the drug is withheld. [88] [89] ΔFosB increases the expression of AMPA receptor subunit GluR2 [87] and also decreases expression of dynorphin, thereby enhancing sensitivity to reward. [89]