Cocaine (and a cocaine metabolite, BZE)
Cocaine
Also know as?
White, Wash, Toot, Stones, Snow, Rocks, Percy, Pebbles, Freebase, Crack, Coke, Ching, Charlie, Chang, C.
| ‘Illegal’ drugs (‘accidental exposure’ – zero tolerance approach) | Threshold limit in microgrammes per litre of blood (µg/L) |
|---|---|
| Cocaine | 10µg/L |
What is Cocaine?
Cocaine is a tropane alkaloid that is created from the leaves of the coca plant. Cocaine has a minor number of appropriate medical applications. It was historically used as a current anesthetic in eye and nasal surgery, while now it is mainly used for nasal and lacrimal duct surgery. In 2005, academics from Kyoto University Hospital projected the use of cocaine in combination with phenylephrine administered in the form of an eye drop, as a diagnostic test for Parkinson’s disease. Since it is controlled internationally by the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs the massive majority of cocaine use is illegal. Taking cocaine reportedly makes users feel on “top of the world”, wide-awake, and self-assured.
What is the risk of taking Cocaine?
- Taking cocaine is highly risky for anybody with high blood pressure or a heart condition. Even perfectly healthy people, no matter their age, can have a fit or heart attack after taking too much of this drug.
- Using cocaine with alcohol, as well as with other drugs, can significantly increase the risk of side-effects. Alcohol and cocaine together can be dangerous. They mix together in the body to produce a toxic chemical which is called coca ethylene.
- Cocaine raises the temperature in the body and makes the heart beat faster, which can cause a heart attack.
How long does Cocaine stay in the system?
- 3 to 4 days in urine
Saliva test – a few minutes after ingestion up to one day
- Up to 90 days in hair
- 1 – 2 days in blood*.
Expected level of drug that will stay in the system 24 hours after taking Cocaine.
*For chronic users, drugs can be reserved in the system much longer after their last use. For example, marijuana and PCP stay in user’s system and can be detected for up to 30 days after long periods of heavy use.
