›› Cocaine Facts You Should Know

We all know cocaine is a drug and a dangerous one at that. But, do you know exactly what it is? Or even how it is made? Most people have no idea and although cocaine is an illegal drug it helps to know cocaine facts in order to be better educated.

What is it?

Cocaine is made from the coca plant and it is a stimulant. This drug makes users feel intense pleasure and it is unbelievably addictive. When an individual uses cocaine it speeds up certain chemical processes in the brain to achieve the intense feelings of euphoria and this reaction is what makes it so addictive.

Once an individual tries cocaine they will want to achieve those feelings again, and again, and again until they are completely addicted. These are some cocaine facts that most people don’t know before they try cocaine for the first time. Unfortunately, for many the first time is just the beginning and few people can try cocaine just once.

Some other names for cocaine are charlie, coke, C, flake, stardust, and snow. There may be other street names as well depending on the region of the country. There are two different types of cocaine, one is cocaine hydrochloride, and the other is crack cocaine hydrochloride.

Cocaine hydrochloride is usually a white powder that is snorted through the nose. This type of cocaine may also be mixed with water so that it may be injected into the body through a syringe.

Crack cocaine hydrochloride is mixed with baking soda and in some cases ammonia and water to make it a freebase drug. This makes the drug look like white chunks or rocks, in some cases chips, that are typically smoked.

How is Cocaine Made?

Cocaine facts that everyone should know include how the drug is made. Cocaine comes from the leaves of the coca plant. This plant thrives in South America and may be harvested up to six times per year. In addition, it resists disease and drought and does not need irrigation. In order to make cocaine the leaves must be crushed, pounded, or chopped and then mixed with kerosene, alcohol, or gas in order to separate the cocaine from the leaves of the coca plant.

The resulting liquid must then be heated and cooled in order to separate any wax that may have been left in the mixture. After this the cocaine alkaloids need to be removed. This requires using basic and acidic mixtures to separate the cocaine alkaloids. Once the cocaine alkaloids have been separated they then undergo a kerosene treatment. Once the kerosene is removed the crude crystals of cocaine are left behind. These crystals are then mixed with methyl alcohol in order to dissolve them. After this the crystals must be crystallized again only to be dissolved again by sulfuric acid. When this process is over 60% pure cocaine is left.

These are just some cocaine facts that everyone should be aware of. When an individual knows how the drug is made and its highly addictive properties then it is easier to choose to never try it than if you didn’t know these cocaine facts.