The first pure cocaine was the extract from the leaf of the Erythroxylon coca bush in the mid 19th. It grows primarily in Peru and Bolivia. In the beginning of 1900 it became the main stimulant drug used in most of the tonics that were developed to treat a wide variety of illnesses. 
  
Today cocaine has a high potential for abuse, but can be administered by a doctor for legitimate medical uses, such as a local anesthetic for some ear, eye and throat surgeries.

  Cocaine imcludes two chemical forms: the "freebase" and the hydrochloride salt. The last one is a powder-like form of cocaine. It melts in water and can be taken by vein (intravenously) or in the nose (intranasally). The freebase form of cocaine is smokable.

  Cocaine is usually sold on the street as a white, crystalline powder, known as "coke," "C," "flake," "snow" or "blow." Street dealers generally dilute it with such inert substances as cornstarch, talcum powder, sugar powder, or with such active drugs as procaine (local anesthetic) or with amphetamines.

How is Cocaine Used?

  There are few ways to use cocaine. It used orally, intranasaly (snorting), intravenously (by injecting) and inhalationly (smoking). Smoking is the process of the inhalation of cocaine smoke into the lungs, where absorption into the bloodstream is as quick as by injection. Snorting is the process of inhaling cocaine powder through the nostrils.

  It is absorbed there into the bloodstream through the nasal tissues. Injecting is a way when the   drug directly drops into the bloodstream and heightens the intensity of its effects. The drug can also be rubbed onto mucous tissues. Some users combine cocaine powder or crack with heroin in a "speedball."

  Cocaine use ranges from occasional use to repeated or compulsive use, with a variety of patterns between these extremes. There are many ways to use cocaine. Any way of administration can lead to absorption of toxic amounts of cocaine, leading to acute cardiovascular or cerebrovascular emergencies that could result in sudden death. Using cocaine for a long time can produce addiction and other adverse health consequences.