| Overview
Pure cocaine was first used in the 1880s in eye, nose, and throat surgeries as an anesthetic and for its ability to constrict blood vessels and limit bleeding. However, many of its therapeutic applications are now obsolete because of the development of safer drugs.
Cocaine is the most potent stimulant of natural origin. This substance can be snorted, smoked, or injected. When snorted, cocaine powder is inhaled through the nose where it is absorbed into the bloodstream through the nasal tissues. When injected, the user uses a needle to release the drug directly into the bloodstream. Smoking involves inhaling cocaine vapor or smoke into the lungs where absorption into the bloodstream is as rapid as by injection. Each of these methods of administration pose great risks to the user.
Crack is cocaine that has been processed from cocaine hydrochloride to a free base for smoking. Crack cocaine is processed with ammonia or sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and water. It is then heated to remove the hydrochloride producing a form of cocaine that can be smoked.
Extent of Use
According to the 2004 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, approximately 34.2 million Americans ages 12 and older had tried cocaine at least once in their lifetimes, representing 14.2% of the population ages 12 and older. Approximately 5.7 million (2.4%) has used cocaine in the past year and 2.0 million (0.8%) had used cocaine within the past month.
Among students surveyed as part of the 2005 Monitoring the Future study, 3.7% of eighth graders, 5.2% of tenth graders, and 8.0% of twelfth graders reported lifetime use of cocaine. In 2004, these percentages were 3.4%, 5.4%, and 8.1%, respectively.
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