How Is Cocaine Used?

For thousands of years, people in South America have chewed and ingested coca leaves (Erythroxylon coca), the source of cocaine, for their stimulant effects. The purified chemical, cocaine hydrochloride, was isolated from the plant more than 100 years ago. In the early 1900s, purified cocaine was the main active ingredient in many tonics and elixirs developed to treat a wide variety of illnesses and was even an ingredient in the early formulations of Coca-Cola.

Before the development of synthetic local anesthetic, surgeons used cocaine to block pain. However, research has since shown that cocaine is powerfully addictive. Today, cocaine is a Schedule II drug, which means that it has high potential for abuse but can be administered by a doctor for legitimate medical uses, such as local anesthesia for some eye, ear, and throat surgeries.

People use two chemical forms of cocaine:

• The water-soluble hydrochloride salt is injected or snorted as a powder.
• The water-insoluble cocaine base (or freebase) is smoked. The base form is created by processing the drug with ammonia or sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and water, then heating it to remove the hydrochloride. Freebase cocaine is also called by the street name crack, which refers to the crackling sound heard when the mixture is smoked.