Cocaine is a stimulant drug that is potent and highly addictive. It is a Schedule II controlled substance, and its use is illegal in almost every context. Cocaine is one of the most commonly abused drugs in Georgia and also one of the most dangerous.
In 2016, the National Institute on Drug Abuse published a study showing a concerning trend of cocaine use among full-time college students. It demonstrated an increase in cocaine use by college students in 2014 after a six-year drop from 5.4% in 2007 to 2.7% in 2013. In 2014, the percentage was 4.4%, a figure that remained virtually unchanged in 2015.
What makes cocaine dangerous?
Stimulant drugs like cocaine work to rev up the central nervous system. This can cause life-threatening events, such as strokes or cardiac arrest.
While there are different ways of administering cocaine, including smoking and injecting it, many people use it by snorting. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, this leads to erosion of the upper nasal cavity and a unique respiratory syndrome. In other words, cocaine is dangerous because it can affect the heart, lungs and brain, i.e., the organs responsible for the most vital functions.
What makes cocaine addictive?
People who use cocaine enjoy the rush of euphoria that it produces. Its potency is part of what makes it addictive. Cocaine is also addictive because people who use it quickly build up a tolerance to it. Once tolerant, a person has to take more cocaine to achieve the same effects.
Because cocaine is so dangerous, drug charges related to it can carry serious consequences. These can negatively affect one’s future education and employment prospects.
