NCJ Number
135607
Date Published
1991
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This law enforcement training guide notes that cocaine has become widely available in the United States and that its use is often associated with other types of criminal activity.
Abstract
Cocaine is a white crystalline alkaloid cultivated from coca leaves that acts as a stimulant on the central nervous system. The coca plant is found in Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, and Colombia. The average coca leaf contains from 0.5 to 1 percent of the alkaloid cocaine. Various factors that influence cocaine content include atmospheric conditions, age and condition of the coca plant, quality of the soil, fertilizers used, timing of cultivation and harvest, and the drying process. After the drying process is complete, the coca leaf is either consumed locally or exported to other countries for consumption. Illicit cocaine smuggled from clandestine labs in South America to other countries usually comes in one of three forms: hard, tiny rock form that is readily available, especially to the large wholesaler or dealer; flake form, a purer form of cocaine that has been broken down into tiny flakes and is considered a delicacy among cocaine users; and powdered form that is usually rock or flaked cocaine diluted with other substances. Freebase is cocaine that has been evaporated from hydrochloric acid, and crack is quite simply a crude method of manufacturing freebase cocaine. Methods of cutting and using cocaine and the drug's physical and psychological effects are described. Study questions and answers are provided.