cocaine

Alkaloid extracted from the leaves of the coca tree. It has limited medical application, mainly as a local anaesthetic agent that is readily absorbed by mucous membranes (lining tissues) of the nose and throat. It is both toxic and addictive. Its use as a stimulant is illegal. crack is a derivative of cocaine.

Cocaine was first extracted from the coca plant in Germany in the 19th century. Most of the world's cocaine is produced from coca grown in Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, and Ecuador. Estimated annual production totals 215,000 tonnes, with most of the processing done in Colombia. Side effects of cocaine use include spasm of coronary artery causing chest pain. Long-term use may cause mental and physical deterioration. In August 2001, a UK-based company was given permission by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to begin trials of a cocaine vaccine. The vaccine produces antibodies in the bloodstream that counter the cocaine before it affects the brain.

Figures released in December 2001 showed that, in the USA, 150,000 hospital emergencies a year are attributable to cocaine use.