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Show 'White airl' is a street name for cocaine to chips of stone, and freebase because when it is refined from cocaine co-caine hydrochloride, it is freed from its base. Dealers can sell crack for twice the profit of powdered cocaine. An ounce of cocaine can be turned into about 250 vials of crack. Crack is inhaled through a pipe, delivering a high dose blast to the brain in less than 10 seconds, lasting a few minutes. Its potency is five to 10 times greater than smoking smok-ing cocaine. Continued use of crack may cause insomnia, nervous agitation and severe paranoia. Users have also become chronically and severely se-verely depressed, suicidal or homicidal. homi-cidal. Basically, it has the same effects as cocaine, only intensified. Crack and cocaine are here to stay. They're more than just a passing pass-ing fad. A knowledge of what to look for and an alertness to the symptoms may save a life. strength and endurance. The high lasts about 30 minutes. The stimulating effects of cocaine, co-caine, although seemingly pleasant, can escalate into excitability, anxiety, anxi-ety, uncontrolled talkativeness, difficulty in focusing the eyes, rapid heartbeat, increased pulse rate, blood pressure elevation, dilated pupils, headaches, nausea, vomiting, increase in body temperature and hallucinations (particularly (par-ticularly that ants or insects are crawling under or on the skin). Cocaine can also cause lung damage and respiratory problems, distorted thinking and irreversible brain damage. Continued use can lead to increased driving accidents, depression, suicide and death. Cold sweats, convulsions, fainting and a halt in respiration could mean that fatal cocaine poisoning has set it Birth defects are a huge problem with cocaine. Even if the mother uses cocaine only once during the pregnancy, its effect on the fetus could be the same as if she used it repetitively. Many cocaine babies begin their lives in an agonizing state of withdrawal that can last as long as three weeks. They have a stiffness, a sign of damaged nerves, are irritable, ir-ritable, difficult to feed and are hypersensitive hy-persensitive to sights and sounds. They tune the world out, a behavior pattern that suggests neurological neu-rological and psychological damage that may not show up in its full, tragic impact until the child reaches school age. Some of the more obvious disabilities include stunted livers, kidneys, lungs and brains. Respiratory problems, severe di fficulties with motor skills, pliysical deformities and paralysis often plague the infant as well. One study estimates that one in 10 infants bom in the United States is born to a mother who used some type of illegal drug during pregnancy. pregnan-cy. Cocaine is administered in three ways. The traditional form is snorting, snort-ing, or inhaling it through the nose. It is filtered into the bloodstream through the mucus membrane lining of the nasal cavity, reaching the brain in three to five minutes. Shooting, injecting the drug directly into the bloodstream by hypodermic hy-podermic needle, is the second method. The drug reaches the brain within seconds, producing an intense in-tense rush that lasts 15 to 30 minutes. The third method is called freebasing. Freebasing, or smoking, has drastically increased since 1979. The cocaine is smoked by mixing dissolved cocaine with ether and sodium hydroxide or baking soda. The granules are then smoked in a pipe usually filled with water or rum. The high lasts about 10 minutes. Cocaine has many names. Coke, toot, snow, candy, flake, C, freeze, happy dust, dynamite, paradise white and gold dust are just a few. There are definite symptoms of cocaine abuse that can be picked up on. Some of them include sleeping problems, a runny nose and nasal sores, headaches, lowered appetite, decreased sexual drive or problems at home, school, work, with relationships rela-tionships or financial difficulties. The person may be depressed, irritable, ir-ritable, fatigued, have a redness of skin from scratching "coke bugs" or have dilated pupils, tremors, or nausea. They may also be characterized by talkativeness, fever, fe-ver, rapid heart beat, and paraphernalia, parapher-nalia, including small spoons, small mirrors, small vials, razor blades and straws. Some of the psychological problems prob-lems associated with cocaine users are that they can't stop, can't relax after stimulation and feel a nagging depression after the euphoria fades. They may also exhibit extreme paranoia, compulsive behavior, hallucinations and have erratic and irrational ideas. Crack, an even more lethal form of cocaine, has now hit the streets. Crack, so named for the cracking sound it makes when smoked, is the white or tan precipitate formed when cocaine powder is cooked with water and baking soda. It is also known as rock for its similarity i By SARAH HANSEN Editor's Note: The Davis County Coun-ty Clipper, in an effort to educate the public, and specifically parents, is running a series of articles on drug abuse and related problems. Most of the information is taken from the free handbook, "Let's All Work Together to Fight Drug Abuse." sssEa F B. T r 1 An estimated five million Americans are having a love affair with "white girl." White girl is just one of several street names for cocaine, co-caine, the drug of choice for virtually vir-tually every social and economic group in the United States. Cocaine is not a new drug. It was used by the ancient Inca priests to induce trances and elicit prophecies. pro-phecies. Later it was used by peasants peas-ants working at high altitudes to mask oxygen deficiencies, raise body temperatures and anesthetize the pain of hunger and fatigue. It was first introduced in America t in the late 1 800s. It was promoted as a wonder drug in wines, tonics, powders and soft drinks. Later it was sold door to door as a cure-all for ailments ranging from hayfever to alcoholism. One cold medicine, "Ryno's Fever Fe-ver 'n Catarrh Remedy,' ' was basically pure cocaine. Until 1903, a major soft drink contained 60 milligrams per eight ounce serving. By the end of the century, cocaine co-caine was firmly in the mainstream of popular acceptance as a harmless and pleasant stimulant. In 1906 the peak of the first cocaine epidemic occurred. Americans consumed 21,000 pounds of cocaine. Within a few years, however, the iddictive and destructive nature of the drug became evident. America's appetite for cocaine was curbed as the stories of cocaine-related illnesses ill-nesses and deaths began to spread. The Harrison-Anti Narcotic Act of 1914 was the first of a series of steps taken by Congress to restrict the distribution of cocaine and eventually outlaw it for all but pharmaceutical use. Little was heard about cocaine from 1930 through the 1960s. In the early 70s, the small supply and low purity of cocaine available in the United States led many experts and intra-nasal users to believe it was non-addictive. The media reported those incorrect facts, and many people welcomed this new drug that would give them happiness, energy and keep them thin with open arms. The second cocaine epidemic spread rapidly to "partyers" of all ages from the powerful criminal syndicates in South America. During the past 15 years, millions of Americans have casually broken drug laws to alter their minds, creating a growing consumer market. The market was quickly exploited by criminals, who view each social drug user as a potential addict who will pay thousands and even millions of dollars to suppliers. sup-pliers. Cocaine usage began at the fringe of society with entertainers, spreading to the so-called "Glamour Industries" of advertising, advertis-ing, the media, high finance and pro sports. From there it has reached everyone from kids to grandparents. Cocaine is a highly addictive drug. Research with chimps that were taught to self -administer cocaine co-caine shows that an addicted animal will prefer cocaine to water, sex and food even if starved. Cocaine produces a pleasurable body sensation described as an intense in-tense adrenaline rush of energy and vigor. It also brings feelings of psychic energy, self-confidence or intense sexuality as well as renewed |
