FORMS OF COCAINE AND METHODS OF USE

Cocaine derives from plants indigenous to the Andes Mountains of South America. Of the 17 species of erythroxylon plants that produce cocaine, only two (erythroxylon coca and erythroxylon novogranatense) yield sufficient levels of the cocaine alkaloid to justify mass cultivation for processing into cocaine. These two species, cultivated primarily in Peru, Bolivia, and Colombia, supply the world's cocaine.Coca leaves can be processed into a variety of usable forms using an array of different and oftentimes toxic chemicals. Because all forms are derivatives of the coca plant, the active ingredient - the cocaine alkaloid - is common to all. Figure 1 illustrates the processing and routes of administration of the five basic forms of the drug: coca leaves, coca paste, powder cocaine, freebase cocaine, and crack cocaine.a. Coca Leaves Due to differing environmental factors, the cocaine content of the coca leaf ranges between 0.1 percent and 0.8 percent. Coca plants grown at higher altitudes contain a higher percentage of the cocaine alkaloid than those grown at lower altitudes and are consequently more potent. Coca leaves typically are chewed but can be rolled into cigarettes or cigars and smoked or infused in liquid and consumed like tea.

b. Coca Paste

Coca paste is a chunky, off-white to light-brown, putty-like substance that exists primarily as an intermediate product in the processing of coca leaves into powder cocaine. Coca paste is derived from coca leaves by mixing the leaves with an alkaline material (e.g., sodium bicarbonate), an organic solvent (e.g., kerosene), and water. The mixture is agitated and the cocaine alkaloid and the organic solvent naturally separate from the water and the leaves. The water and the leaves are removed from the mixture and discarded. Using an acid, the cocaine alkaloid and the kerosene are separated and the kerosene is drawn off the mixture. Additional sodium bicarbonate is added and a solid substance separates from the solution. This solid substance, the coca paste, is removed and allowed to dry. Chemically, coca paste is a base form of cocaine (similar to freebase cocaine and crack cocaine) and typically contains residual toxins from the conversion process. Because coca paste is a base, it is hydrophobic - not readily absorbed into water - and, thus, cannot be injected, insufflated, or ingested. While most coca paste is converted into powder cocaine, the paste itself is smoked in South American countries that produce cocaine. During the early 1980s, several cities in the United States also experienced sporadic episodes of coca paste smoking. However, coca paste is typically not imported into the United States.

c. Powder Cocaine

Powder cocaine is a white, powdery substance produced by reacting coca paste with hydrochloric acid. It is the most commonly used form of cocaine. As illustrated in Figure 1, cocaine powder is derived by dissolving the coca paste in hydrochloric acid and water. To this mixture a potassium salt (potassium permanganate) is added. The potassium salt causes undesired substances to separate from the mixture. These substances are then discarded. Ammonia is added to the remaining solution, and a solid substance - the powder cocaine - separates from the solution. The powder cocaine is removed and allowed to dry. Prior to distribution, powder cocaine typically is "cut," or diluted, by adding a variety of one or more adulterants: sugars, local anesthetics (e.g., benzocaine), other drugs, or other inert substances. Consequently, the purity level of powder cocaine may vary considerably. While the active ingredient in powder cocaine - the cocaine alkaloid - does not differ from the active ingredient in coca paste or other forms of cocaine, the salt substrate causes the drug to be hydrophilic - readily dissolved, or absorbed, into water - and, thus, easily injected, insufflated, or ingested. However, unlike base forms of cocaine (such as freebase and crack cocaine), powder cocaine cannot be inhaled (smoked). The cocaine alkaloid molecule, when in the powder cocaine form, begins to decompose at a temperature close to which the drug vaporizes (198 C, 388 F). Once the cocaine alkaloid decomposes, it is inactive pharmacologically and no longer produces any physiological or psychotropic effects.