Drug of choice : Cocaine
Street Names : Because cocaine is a rather popular drug it has many street names, these include but are not limited to:
- Coke
- C
- Charlie
- Blow
- Sniff
- Nose candy
- White or White powder
- Mojo
- “Snow”
Description.
Cocaine is a white, crystal-like powder that is often mixed in with other similar
substances or similar looking substances. It is like most drugs and is harmful to the human body even in the short term. It is not a depressant, it causes a short and stronger burst of being high then a long period of depression
Description of Looks.
Cocaine is a white, crystalline drug that is often blended in with other substances and even drugs to either hide, and with drugs to intensify the effect of the highness.
Usage.
Cocaine is a widely used illegal drug all across the world. Its usage started in the 1500s in Latin America where the leaves were chewed on for the same effect as today. The doses were lower meaning that the impact was not as large. Then in the 1850s Coca Cola used it in the famous first recipe and sold it as a miracle drug to solve many problems. This helped boost its popularity in not just the US but the whole world. However it was banned in the US in 1905 following reports of 5000 people dying yearly of overdoses. Since then it has been a highly prized, still very dangerous drug that was and still is used by the rich and the poor to get high.
Around the time of the 1905 ban of cocaine did it become popular to snort the drug. This is still the most common way to use it to this day. The larger crystal that comes is broken up using either a piece of card, razor blade among other things and then snorted. It is also smoked which is much less dangerous as it makes an overdose less likely because of the slower absorption into the blood stream.
What influences teens and adolescents to use it?
Oftentime teens and adolescents are influenced by interpersonal factors such as their friends or their family. There might also be personal factors at play such as longing to fit it and societal but much less often to use drugs as it is seen as a status symbol, however this was mostly in the past when these drugs were either legal, or their danger was not fully realised or just plainly ignored by the public.
Pros and Cons of using the drug.
With class A drugs like cocaine and others there are no real positives besides the high which only lasts a short while.
This drug has many negatives some of the short term effects are the following; Nausea, hyperstimulation,disrupted sleep patterns,panic, psychosis, loss of appetite, and hallucinations.
Some of the long term effects are: permanent damage to blood vessels, kidney, liver, heart, brain, and the respiratory system if smoked, malnutrition, weight loss, and severe tooth decay among other things.
The laws regarding cocaine.
For possession of a class a drug like cocaine the penalty is a 6 month imprisonment and or a $1000 fine,
For supply or manufacturing it is life imprisonment, and letting your premise or motor vehicle be used to ship or produce the drug is a 10 year imprisonment.
Strategies for teens and adolescents regarding drugs.
Regarding class A like cocaine their best bet is to avoid it at all costs, however if they have problems with the drug then calling healthline nz is the best option.
Scenario: It is the start of interval; you receive a text. The text is from your friend. Your friend tells you to meet them at the back of the field to use Cocaine with them.
Option 1
“Nah, mate I won’t do drugs, especially not coke. We could go out and have maccas after school but not cocaine. That stuff is really dangerous and I don’t want to get involved”,
Option 2
“Nah, mate, are you out of your mind?” Go to a teacher and show them the text.
Option 3
Go to the field and take the drugs with your friend.
Consequences:
- You don’t do drugs, however you might be seen as weak and excluded which has a negative mental and emotional, and a social impact on you. However the physical impact is good as you didn’t do drugs, and thus haven’t caused damage to yourself.
- You don’t do drugs, your friend doesn’t do drugs so it has a positive physical impact on you and your friend, however he will leave you as you did betray him so negatively socially and mentally. He might also get in trouble with the law as it is illegal to even possess cocaine, let alone use it in a school.
- You do the drugs, your friend and others think that you’re cool which is good for you socially, you get to be high, however you did do the drugs which have a negative physical impact and you just committed a crime. Your friend might also go to prison for a lifetime depending on if this counts and drug trafficking. But a minimum of 10 years for possession if this gets found out.
Number 1 is the best option as you don’t lose your friends, you don’t do drugs and he doesn’t get in trouble. This one has the most positive impacts on your Hauora.