Cocaine
Beginning of paper
The potent drug was first prescribed as an anesthetic and a
painkiller by doctors who believed that it was a safe substitute for morphine.
The drug is a white, crystalline compound that has been processed from the
leaves of the coca plant (Erythroxylum coca), a tropical shrub commonly found
wild i ....
Middle of paper
.... snow, coke, or toot--can be tasted,
but usually it is sniffed. It is readily absorbed into the bloodstream through
the nasal mucous membranes, but it acts as an irritant to constrict blood
vessels and sometimes causes ulcerations in the nasal cavity. Cocaine is also
injected in solution into veins or may be smoked in chemically treated forms
known as free base and crack.
Any method of ingestion produces compulsive use, and drug dependency may
develop in a relatively short time. Users ....
------------------
Word count: 290
Page count: 2 (approximately 250 words per page)
