Cocaine and Its Usage - Essay Example

COCAINE History of cocaine use The history of cocaine s back to 1885, when the pure chemical, cocaine hydrochloride, was isolated by German chemist Albert Niemann from the leaves of coca (Erythroxylon coca), a plant indigenous to the Andean highlands of South America. The leaves have been used for a thousand of years by Native Americans, who chew on them to relieve fatigue, and boil them for tea. Immediately after discovery, it was found to be effective as an anesthetic, and was then used extensively during eyes, nose and throat surgery. After which, it was noted for its stimulating properties, and it was thus mistakenly prescribed for illnesses such as anxiety depression, morphine addiction and chronic tuberculosis. Because of its potency, it had been used as a major active ingredient of many popular drugs and energizing drinks. In fact, it had been included in the original formulation of the ever-popular Coca-Cola (“Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series 33”). It was not long before the adverse effects of cocaine were noticed. To prevent untoward effects on those that ingested cocaine- and narcotic-tinged products unknowingly, the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 mandated all manufacturers to properly label their products. Eight years after, the Harrison Narcotic Control Act of 1914 went on to ban the production, distribution and sale of cocaine-containing patent medicines. Government intervention, together with the advent of amphetamine use during the 1930s, was successful in limiting cocaine demands to the marginal members of the society, which harbor most of the cocaine snorters, swallowers and shooters. As well, despite government prohibitions, some farmers remained to cultivate coca plants in the South American countries of Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, and Ecuador (“Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series 33”). The extensive use of cocaine resurfaced in the 1960s and 1970s, when the society became more accepting in the use of prohibited drugs for recreational purposes. At this time, the initial increase in demand for cocaine resulted to reproduction, resulting to a greater demand and abuse of the substance. Incidentally, limited supplies and cheaper alternatives restricted the use of cocaine, although the intervention of multibillion-dollar cartel industry during the 1980s turned coca planting from a hidden industry to a major agricultural business. The income generated from this cocaine industry resurgence resulted to corruption of the government and judiciary, blunting law enforcement. Soon enough, supply of cocaine came flooding, making the retail price cheaper and more affordable (“Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series 33”). Despite the social and health problems it has caused the American society, the problems with substance use lead to numerous scientific and clinical researches (“Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series 33”). Effects of cocaine The mechanism of action of cocaine is the inhibition of dopamine reuptake, and subsequently increasing the levels of dopamine, heightening the sense of pleasure and initiating some negative symptoms (University of Arizona; Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) However, chronic use of cocaine and persistent high dopamine levels will damage the dopamine response system, increasing the negative symptoms. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that affects body movement, and is implicated in Parkinson’s, thinking, motivation, reward, and pleasure responses. For example, when one takes a meal, his/her dopamine levels rise, signaling pleasure. This sense of pleasure initiated during eating is restored in the memory, and becomes a motivation to eat again when hungry. This same mechanism is also behind cocaine addiction, whereby cocaine intake results to increased pleasure, and depression of such feeling causes craving for the material that caused the enjoyable feeling. However, the extreme levels of dopamine have adverse effects. Higher than normal dopamine concentrations results to nervousness, irritability, aggressiveness, paranoia and psychosis, while minute amounts in the brain causes depression, fatigue, tremors and uncontrollable muscle movement (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration; “InfoFacts: Cocaine”; “Cocaine Intoxication”) Immediately after a cocaine dose, euphoria, heightened energy and sensitivity, insomnia, depressed appetite, talkativeness, mental alertness, increased confidence, and elevated libido can be noticed. Physically, pupillary dilatation, tachycardia, vasoconstriction, increased basal body temperature, and hypertension can be seen as well. Greater toxic effects are also associated with higher doses. As well, alcohol plus cocaine is a lethal combination, as it increases the risk of sudden death. These effects of cocaine last for 1-2 hours, faster than that of methamphetamine, which lasts for 8-10 hours. Because its euphoric effects wane faster and its withdrawal symptoms are less intense than other narcotics, such as methamphetamine (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration; “Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series 33”), many users, even experts and public health officials, thought it was harmless (“Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series 33”). However, long-term use of cocaine results to psychological symptoms such as irritability, depression, restlessness, paranoia, auditory hallucinations, bizarre and violent behavior, blunted feeling of pleasure. In addition, physical symptoms are arrhythmia, heart attacks, chest pain, pneumonia, respiratory failure, stroke, rapid weight loss, malnutrition, seizures, and headaches (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration). There are also different sets of symptoms depending on the mode of administration. Administering cocaine intravenously can also increase the risk for HIV or Hepatitis C virus infection, abscesses and severe allergic reactions. On the other hand, inhaling in cocaine can cause anosmia, difficulty in swallowing, chronically, inflamed, runny nose, nosebleeds, hoarseness, and deviated septum. Meanwhile, smoking cocaine can result to throat problems, burning of lips, lung congestion, chronic coughing, and chronic lung disease. There are also special considerations in the use of cocaine. Usage of cocaine by pregnant women causes increased risks of prematurity, low birth weight, small head circumference, shorter length, and HIV or Hepatitis C virus exposure of the fetus. On the other hand, cocaine-exposed children manifest with inattention, difficulty in learning and cognition (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration). METHAMPHETAMINE History of methamphetamine use In 1880s, ephedrine was isolated from the plant Ma Haung or Ephedra, used in traditional medicine for respiratory ailments. Not long after, its synthetic derivatives, such as amphetamine and methamphetamine, were synthesized. In 1920s, ephedrine was formulated for use in bronchial inhalers, and about a decade later, the synthetic meth was made commercially available by Smith, Kline and French as over-the-counter inhalers indicated for asthma and congestion. It was also around this time when the American Medical Association approved the use of amphetamines, marketed as Benzedrine and a hundred other brand names, as treatment for various neurologic and psychiatric disorders such as narcolepsy, depression, Parkinson’s disease, attention deficit disorder, and alcoholism (Hunt, Kuck and Truitt). Its use continued to flourish until the 1940s and 1950s. In the 2nd World War and Korean War, amphetamine and meth were administered to soldiers and pilots to overcome fatigue. After the war, Japanese military supplies, including medicines, were made commercialized, resulting to the widespread meth addiction in the country. Until 1989, this causes serious social problems as 90% of all drug arrests were related to meth use (Hunt, Kuck and Truitt). In the 1960s and 1970s, around the same time that cocaine use became increasingly rampant, prescription amphetamines such as Dexedrine, Dexamyl, Desoxin, and Bitephamine, leaked illegally into the market partly through the distribution of motorcycle gangs, increasing civilian use of these addictive drugs. In fact, users went as far as injecting the contents of Benzedrine inhalers and liquid meth in ampoules. “Speed freaks” became a popular jargon referring to addicts that take meth in large doses. Low cost, prolonged duration and easy access are all contributory factors to its widespread use (Hunt, Kuck and Truitt). Unlike the extent of cocaine use, however, the epidemic of meth use was limited to the rural areas of West and Midwest states of America (“Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series 33”). To lessen the availability of prescription amphetamines, the government started to regulate its distribution by phasing out of ampoules, as well as drug scheduling and criminalizing possession without prescription through the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970. This lead to a steady decline until the 1990s, mostly because doctors refrain from prescribing it and drug companies significantly lessen its manufacture (Hunt, Kuck and Truitt). As a result, illegal manufacturing of amphetamines become the sole source of amphetamines in illegal market. This is possible because of the relative ease of its production. Initially, these illegal manufacturers use the inefficient P2P method, whereby phenyl-2-propanone (P2P) is used as the precursor substance and low-grade meth. The regulation of P2P lead to the production of high quality meth and creation of new, easier recipes. In response, the US government passed the Chemical Diversion and Trafficking Act of 1988, Methamphetamine Control Act of 1996, Ephedra Prohibition Act, and Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act in 2005 to regulate precursors and to penalize possession, distribution and manufacturing of meth. The latter also limited the distribution of ephedrine-, pseudoephedrine- and phenylpropanolamine-containing drugs (Hunt, Kuck and Truitt). Effects of methamphetamine Ephedrine and its synthetic derivatives are powerful central nervous system (CNS) stimulants. Depending on the form the drug is taken, its effects can be felt as fast as seven seconds, although initiation of effects can be delayed to thirty minutes when it is taken orally. Upon transport through the blood brain barrier, meth promotes the increased synapse concentration of 1) dopamine, like cocaine does, 2) norepinephrine that activates the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) to cause anxiety, insomnia and paranoia, as well as palpitations, vasoconstriction, pupillary dilation and increased basal body temperature, and 3) serotonin, which influences sleep and appetite to result to aggressiveness, mood changes and even psychosis, both by promoting release and inhibiting reuptake (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration; Hunt, Kuck and Truitt). Due to the substances’ long half-life, these effects lasts 4 to 24 hours, after which the person “crashes”, experiencing fatigue, hunger, thirst, cravings and disorientation (Hunt, Kuck and Truitt). Its long half-life makes meth have stronger and lasting effects than cocaine (Hunt, Kuck and Truitt; University of Arizona). The negative symptoms progress to lethargy, anhedonia, depression, anxiety, and insomnia, until another dose is taken, encouraging repeated intake, addiction and relapse. In the long run, the hyperactivity will result to problems such as chest pains, arrhythmia, arterial aneurysm, hypertension, heart attack, stroke, heatstroke, chills, palpitations, kidney failure, disorientation, tremors, dizziness, neurologic and psychotic disorders as well as multiple organ failure that manifest even long after use cessation. It is also important to mention that exposure of children to meth is fatal (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Hunt, Kuck and Truitt; “Methamphetamine Overdose”; “InfoFacts: Methamphetamine”). Initially used as a bronchodilating agent, the use of meth has evolved immensely within almost one hundred years since its discovery. Until now, the U. S. Army and Air Force allow their soldiers and pilots to use stimulants such as amphetamine and methamphetamine to fight fatigue. Women use it for weight loss, truck drivers and students take it to keep awake, and drug dependents use it to get high (Hunt, Kuck and Truitt). Referencess Hunt, Dana, Sarah Kuck and Linda Truitt. Methamphetamine Used: Lessons Learned. MA: Abt Associates, Inc., 2006. National Institute of Drug Abuse. InfoFacts: Cocaine. National Institute of Drug Abuse, March 2010. Web. 10 April 2012. National Institute of Drug Abuse. InfoFacts: Methamphetamine. National Institute of Drug Abuse, March 2010. Web. 10 April 2012. Perez, Eric. Cocaine Intoxication. MedLine Plus, 17 June 2011. Web. 10 April 2012. Perez, Eric. Methamphetamine Overdose. MedLine Plus, 28 March 2011. Web. 10 April 2012. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Session 4: Methamphetamine and Cocaine. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Web. 10 April 2012. University of Arizona. Methamphetamine and Cocaine. University of Arizona, Web. 10 April 2012. Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series 33: Chapter 1 – History of Cocaine and Methamphetamine Use. RecoveryRoadMap, Web. 10 April 2012. Read More