Cocaine (or coke) was once medicine's most popular local anesthetic, stimulant, and antidepressant. Today, it is a very popular drug on the illicit market. Cocaine is a short acting, but powerful central nervous system stimulant that is derived from the coca plant located in the mountainous regions of Central and South America.

Coke appears as an odorless, white crystalline powder; sometimes it appears in chunks of white material. When inhaled or snorted through the nose, the effects begin within a few seconds or minutes, peak within 30 to 60 minutes, and diminish over the next 1 or 2 hours. If the drug is injected, the effects begin instantaneously. Euphoria, restlessness, excitement, or feelings of extreme well being are the usual results of a coke high. They are generally followed by periods of depression, known as a "crash".

The need to use increasingly larger doses to produce the original effect may develop with regular use. Physical dependence indicated by withdrawal symptoms, and physiological dependence, indicated by intense cravings for more cocaine, develops with the use or this drug. Sometimes, users wishing to avoid the depression that follows the original effect will administer the drug over and over again until there is no more cocaine left.

Chronic cocaine use may lead to a paranoid syndrome in which the user is highly suspicious and nervous. This may be due, in part at least, to a lack of adequate rest or food since cocaine, like other stimulants, delays fatigue and suppresses appetite. Further study in this area is still needed before the definitive effects of chronic use can be determined.

In terms of physiological effects, cocaine affects the body's motor activity, respiratory rate, body temperature, and possibly mental awareness and cognitive speed. It also acts as a local anesthetic.

When cocaine is taken, there is a rise in blood pressure due to cocaine's blood vessel constrictive action. Gradually, blood pressure falls as the stimulation is followed by depression. Chronic use may lead to a deterioration of the tissues inside the nose, resulting in nose bleeds and other problems.

For further information, contact HealthWorks Peer Education Program at (814) 863-2500, or stop by room 19/20 Ritenour between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Wellspring from On Drugs, Inc., a drug education, crisis intervention, and referral agency, is located in 236 1/2 South Allen Street and is accessible 24 hours a day. Their telephone number is (814) 237-5855.

Students at campuses other than University Park should consult with their Campus Health Office for local referral information.