Cocaine is one of the most prevalent and well-known drugs in the Western world. Derived from the Coca plant, cocaine was popularised by the infamous drug lord Pablo Escobar, who was at one time responsible for smuggling upwards of 80% of available coke into the United States.
Coke is bitter to the taste and has a numbing property which has in the past been taken as a guarantee of authenticity. This measure should no longer be taken as assurance that the coke you have is of any quality as in recent years cutting agents have been added to simulate this effect. Two of these are responsible for recent media coverage of cocaine users’ “rotting flesh”. These are benzocaine and lidocaine. Laboratory testing has indicated that these two substances are appearing both in and as cocaine ever more frequently with a Vice News report from March of this year indicating that the average purity of street Coke in London is in the region of only 25%.
As mentioned previously, cocaine has been in the news recently due to a number of users experiencing some grisly after effects following the use of the drug. This is both misleading and irresponsible as the rather than cocaine, it is another cutting agent, ‘Levamisole’ which has seen recent use due to its compounding of the stimulant effects of Coke. Levamisole is typically used as a deworming agent in both humans and animals and acts as an immunosuppressant opening up users to an increased risk of viral and bacterial infection in the days after they take the drug.
Despite being one of the most widely available drugs, there exists little information in terms of dosages and effects to guide novice users. What is known is that the effects are incredibly quick to take hold when snorted. Cocaine acts as a powerful stimulant whose effects are known to vary wildly from person to person, possible effects include increased concentration and sexual arousal, a feeling of euphoria, and a thumping heart. Its major downside manifests itself in its fleeting high: lasting only 20-40 minutes, there often exists a desire for continued usage, leading to a significant potential for dependency. As with all stimulants, staying hydrated is vital to a safe experience as it can assist in mitigating the drug’s less desirable effects, including nausea, dizziness, and paranoia.
The notorious impurity of this drug makes it difficult to gauge how much you should be taking per dose, but the general rule is to start low and see how you get on. 100mg would be a reasonable first dose. Do bear in mind that while the average purity of coke you’re likely to get will be low, the LD100 (lethal dose at which 100% of users died) is in the region of 1500mg, leaving little room for error. As always testing kits are advised but they can only give you an idea of whether or not cocaine is present.
