Cocaine (from French 'cocaïne', from Spanish, 'coca', ultimately from Quechua 'kúka'.) is a tropane alkaloid and stimulant drug obtained primarily from the leaves of two coca species, Erythroxylum coca and Erythroxylum novogranatense. It is most commonly used as a recreational drug and euphoriant. After extraction from coca leaves, cocaine may be snorted, heated until sublimated and then inhaled, or dissolved and injected into a vein. Mental effects may include an intense feeling of happiness, sexual arousal, loss of contact with reality, or agitation. Physical symptoms may include a fast heart rate, sweating, and dilated pupils. High doses can result in high blood pressure or body temperature. Effects begin within seconds to minutes of use and last between five and ninety minutes. Cocaine is addictive due to its effect on the reward pathway in the brain. A single dose of cocaine induces tolerance to the drug's effects. After a short period of use, addiction is likely. Abstention from cocaine after chronic use results in drug withdrawal, with symptoms that may include depression, decreased ability to feel pleasure and subjective fatigue. Cocaine's use increases the overall risk of death and particularly the risk of trauma, and infectious diseases, such as blood infections and AIDS. It also increases risk of stroke, heart attack, cardiac arrhythmia, lung injury (when smoked), and sudden cardiac death. Illicitly-sold cocaine is commonly adulterated with local anesthetics, levamisole, cornstarch, quinine, or sugar, which can result in additional toxicity. The Global Burden of Disease study found that cocaine use caused the death of 7.3 people per 100,000 population world-wide.

This NFT description uses material from the Wikipedia article Cocaine which is released under the CC-BY-SA