THE HIGHS AND LOWS OF COCAINE HYDROCHLORIDE AKA: coke, charlie, white. Price: £50-£70 a gramme. Form: white powder which can be snorted, smoked(mixed with tobacco or pure - freebasing), injected or rubbed on teeth or gums. Duration of high: 30-60 minutes. History: chewing of leaves from the coca bush (Erythraxylon coca) by South Americans dates back to 2500BC at least. To the Incas the leaf was divine and was used in religious ceremonies and for medical purposes. Cocaine only really took of in Europe in the mid-nineteenth century when a German chemists Freidrich Gaedake and Albert Niemann isolated the main alkaloid of the coca leaf and it became known as cocaine. Said to be a wonder drug, it was used in medicines, alcoholic and soft drinks and could be bought over the counter in pure form. Vin Mariani was wine produced in the latter part of the nineteenth century, containing extracts of coca leaves(endorsed by the likes of the Tsar of Russia, Sarah Bernhardt and the then Prince of Wales, later Edward VII)and, in 1886, Coca-Cola was launched on to the market. It contained cocaine until 1903 and still contain de-cocainised extracts from the coca plant. The sale of cocaine was only made illegal in America in 1914 and in this country in 1917. Highs: in the short term, cocaine makes you feel you can rule the world. Users experience increased feelings of well being, excitement, pleasure, confidence and energy. The drug also reduces the need to sleep or eat and is relatively subtle so, witnessed by the untrained eye, behavioural changes will largely go unnoticed. Lows: cocaine increases breathing rate and raises blood pressure, heart rate and body temperature. A small number of people have developed severe respiratory problems and some of these users have died; other complain of over-stimulation. Although for may years cocaine was thought to be only psychologically rather than physically addictive, it is now believed that prolonged use will lead to physical dependency. Although tolerance does not increase with long-term use euphoria is often replaced by restlessness, hypersensitivity, nausea, insomnia and weight loss. In some users, cocaine, even in small amounts, can cause feelings of anxiety and/or aggression and irritability. As with amphetamines, cocaine overdose is extremely rare. Symptoms include extreme over-stimulation, racing pulse or palpitations, severe chest pains, difficulty breathing, shaking sweating, muscle spasms and general stiffness. Tips: a mild sedative can sometimes alleviate unpleasant reactions to cocaine. Never share needles if injecting because of the risk of AIDS. From the magazine TimeOut No. 1239 May 18-25 1994 Typed by Dr. Benway