Cocaine
Cocaine is a naturally occurring alkaloid found in certain varieties of plants of the genus Erythroxylum. Coca cultivation is distributed throughout the central and northern Andean Ridge, with approximately 60% in Peru, 30% in Bolivia and the remainder in Columbia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina and Panama.
Cocaine production
Production of illicit natural cocaine involves three steps:
1. Extraction of crude coca paste from the coca leaf.
2. Purification of the coca paste to cocaine base.
3. Conversion of cocaine base to cocaine salt, typically the hydrochloride salt. Cocaine (Fig. 1) in its salt form is normally encountered as a white or off-white powder (see Figure 2a). At ‘street’ level it is normally supplied in paper wrappers, plastic bags or heat-sealed wraps. The base form of cocaine – ‘crack cocaine’ – has become more prevalent in recent years. It is readily prepared from cocaine hydrochloride using baking soda and water. It has a more granular texture than the salt form, often occurring as ‘rocks’ (Fig. 2b) which have a slightly waxy appearance. Cocaine often occurs in high purity. In the UK, examples with purities ranging from 40% to 80% are not uncommon. It is also commonplace for cocaine to be ‘cut’ with other substances. Cutting agents include sugars such as glucose, mannitol and lactose, caffeine to increase the stimulant properties and/or to mask a reduced drug content, and analgesics such as lidocaine, procaine or benzocaine to mimic the analgesic properties of cocaine.
Cocaine is a local anaesthetic, a vasoconstrictor and a powerful psychostimulant. It is this last action that gives rise to abuse of the drug. Cocaine binds to the dopamine reup take transporter in the central nervous system, thereby increasing the concentration of dopamine and norepinephrine in the synapses. The result is a feeling of euphoria, garrulousness, and a heightened sense of awareness and plea sure. This is followed by reduced euphoria and anxiousness.
Figure 1 Cocaine.
Figure 2 (A) Cocaine hydrochloride; (B) crack cocaine. (Photograph: US Drug Enforcement Administration.)
