Running head: DRUGS DISCUSSION 1

Drugs Discussion
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Cocaine is an addictive drug that is similar to heroin in that not all of its users become

addicts. However, the rate at which users are addicted to this drug has increased for the last few

decades. This has mainly been from the change in the mode of the drug’s administration. For

instance, in the 1980s the drug was mainly snorted (Levine et. Al., 2000). The number of addicts

was somewhat lower than in the modern days after users started smoking it. The smoked form

has proved to be more addictive than the snorted one. Various factors have been listed for the

higher rate of addiction of the smokable cocaine than the snorted cocaine. Smoked cocaine

produces pleasure to the user faster than the snorted form. The smoked cocaine also does not last

long in the body of the user which leads to them smoking more of it.

According to pharmacology research, the amount of time taken for a drug to be

introduced into the body determines the abuse potential of that drug. When cocaine is smoked, it

produces euphoria within a short time (Levine et. Al., 2000). This is in contrast to snorted

cocaine which takes longer to instigate pleasure to the user. Snorted cocaine has to travel through

the body’s circulatory system for it to enter the brain. Therefore, when users smoke it, they get

incitement at a quicker rate which increases the potential of them being addicts to the drug.

Besides, when cocaine is smoked, it leaves the brain faster than when ingested.

Therefore, the excitement produced by smoked cocaine does not last for long in the subject’s

body (Levine et. Al., 2000). The person smoking the drug will thus experience depression a few

moments after the first smoking session leading to them wanting to smoke more. This process

keeps on recurring which then subjects such individuals into the danger of being addicted. On the

other hand, snorted cocaine has a long-lasting effect as it takes a longer time to be introduced

into the brain. The user who snorts the drug will thus take longer before they drug themselves

again.
DRUGS DISCUSSION 3

Smoking cocaine thus puts its users in a higher risk of being addicted than those who take

it through ingestion. This is because the smoked cocaine produces pleasure and leaves the body

faster than the snorted cocaine calling for more use of it. This is what causes the smoked cocaine

to be more addictive than the snorted one.

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Reference

Levine, R. R., Walsh, C. T., & Schwartz-Bloom, R. D. (Eds.). (2000). Pharmacology: drug

actions and reactions. CRC Press.