The Popularity of Illegal Drugs - Essay Example

To understand those who use it, one must understand that cocaine is a stimulant drug that is primarily metabolized by the liver. So much of the drug is metabolized by the body, that less than 1% of the drug is secreted through urine. As stated by Maureen Coombs, “Cocaine is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant and induces a euphoric sense of happiness and increased energy. It can be chewed, insufflated (snorted), smoked or injected and has both medicinal and recreational uses” (2007). With this information in mind, one can understand why individuals who use this substance do so. The purpose is not to experience a high, as it is with individuals who smoke marijuana. Instead, cocaine users seek the euphoric feeling and high level of energy associated with its use.

Reports that have come out in past decades have indicated that deaths from cocaine use are not caused by overdose. Such reports may have caused a reduction in concern over its very real dangers. The reality is that cocaine continues to kill thousands of individuals every year, and most of those deaths result from long-term damage caused by extensive abuse. According to Karch, “It is important to understand that death from acute cocaine toxicity is a relatively rare event, essentially only seen in ‘body packers’ or ‘body stuffers’ who find themselves exposed to massive, multigram quantities of cocaine. Otherwise, the only cocaine users likely to become seriously ill or die are the chronic users” (2007). That is to say, fatal overdoses from cocaine do not occur from users' “overindulging” in the user’s illegal substance of choice.
Rather, the overdoses result in something going awry when individuals attempt to use themselves or allow themselves to be used as a drug mule. Packages of immense amounts of cocaine in their body are supposed to be sealed, but occasionally the packages become broken down enough to allow the cocaine to absorb into the body. One of the reasons why cocaine users do not overdose through regular use is that the amount of cocaine required to produce an overdose is not possible via that method. The user would have to make themselves sick to achieve an overdose. When the purpose of using the drug is to achieve euphoria, making oneself sick would be counterproductive.

In terms of usage, “Nasal inhalation is the most popular method of cocaine administration certainly because of its discretion” (Blaise, pg. 1262). There are also the options of injecting the drug or smoking it. As Blaise wrote, snorting cocaine is typically the primary method chosen because of the ease with which one can hide it—at first. Extended cocaine use has the unpleasant side effect of causing nasal lesions, which are all but impossible to hide.

When officials want to test for cocaine, often they will take hair, blood, or urine samples. A little-known fact about hair is that it essentially acts like a tree core. Where on a tree, each ring represents a year of life, and hair shows signs of illegal substance use up to 90 days later. Urine tests can be used to screen for cocaine use 2-5 days after use, with the exception of those with certain kidney disorders. Finally, blood tests can be used accurately within 2-5 days.

Individuals who indulge in their drug habit of cocaine will find that at first, all may seem well and good. The euphoric sense accompanying each use, and the energy the individual experiences, along with the relative ease of hiding the habit itself, likely all combine to make the individual feel that they have an ideal setup. However, as their habit continues, they will find that suddenly their body will start showing significant signs of drug use. Included in those signs are the lesions in their nose (if their preferred method of use is snorting). And should the user ever take a trip to the hospital and see a physician, they would find that their cocaine use had changed the very fabric of their body. Extended cocaine use causes metabolic and structural changes in the body.