Health Hazards

Physical effects. Physical effects of cocaine use include constricted peripheral blood vessels, dilated pupils, and increased body temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure. Some cocaine users report feelings of restlessness, irritability, and anxiety, both while using and between periods of use. An appreciable tolerance to the high may be developed, and many addicts report that they seek but fail to achieve as much pleasure as they did from their first exposure.

Paranoia and aggression. High doses of cocaine and/or prolonged use can trigger paranoia. Smoking crack cocaine can produce particularly aggressive paranoid behavior in users. When addicted individuals stop using cocaine, they may become depressed. This depression causes users to continue to use the drug to alleviate their depression.

Long-term effects. Prolonged cocaine snorting can result in ulceration of the mucous membrane of the nose and can damage the nasal septum enough to cause it to collapse. Cocaine-related deaths are often a result of cardiac arrest or seizures followed by respiratory arrest.

Added Danger. When people mix cocaine and alcohol, they are compounding the danger each drug poses and unknowingly causing a complex chemical interaction within their bodies. Researchers have found that the human liver combines cocaine and alcohol to manufacture a third substance, cocaethylene, which intensifies cocaine's euphoric effects and possibly increases the risk of sudden death.

Cocaine Statistics

1 out of 4 Americans between the age of 26 and 34 have used cocaine in their lifetime.

According to the Minnesota Institute for Public Health and drug prevention resource center, 5,000 adults in the United States try cocaine for the first time each day. (1985)

Today it is estimated that 22 to 25 million people have tried cocaine at least once. Conservative estimates indicate that there are over two million cocaine addicts in the United States today.

Contrary to earlier belief high dose use of cocaine can be detected as long as 10 to 22 days after last use.

Near half of all drug related emergency room visits are due to cocaine abuse.

The annual number of new cocaine users has generally increased over time. In 1975 there were 30,000 new users. The number increased from 300,000 in 1986 to 361,000 in 2000.

Rates of cocaine use by college students over the previous 5 years has varied between 2.0% of all students in 1994 to 4.8% in 2000.

Of high school seniors in 2001, 8.2% reported having ever used cocaine.

From 1997 to 2000 cocaine was the most common drug reported in emergency room episodes.

Cocaine use among men is almost twice then women. Based upon additional data sources, the office of National Drug Control Policy estimates the number of chronic cocaine users at 3.6 million.

Adults 18 to 25 years of age currently have the highest percentage of cocaine use than any other age group.

90% of cocaine users smoked, drank, or used marijuana before trying cocaine.

In 1988, about 300,000 infants were born addicted to cocaine.

Ecstasy Statistics

In July 2000, the U.S. Customs Service at Los Angeles International Airport seized 16 packages containing 2.1 million Ecstasy tablets (1,096 pounds) with an estimated street value of at least $41 million.

Research suggests that people who used ecstasy at least 25 times had lowered serotonin levels for as long as a year after quitting.

About 5.5% of 19-22 year-olds surveyed had used Ecstasy in the previous year.

Ecstasy-related emergency room incidents increased nationwide from 250 in 1994, to 637 in 1997, to 1,142 in 1998, to 2,850 in 1999.

The number of persons being admitted for treatment of primary MDMA abuse is increasing in Denver, Minneapolis/St. Paul, and Texas.

Most MDMA pills are produced in Belgium and the Netherlands, but there have been reports of attempts to establish clandestine MDMA labs in CEWG sites such as Minneapolis, San Diego, and areas of Michigan and South Florida.

From 1999 to 2000, the use of MDMA increased among all three grade levels measured in this study - 8th, 10th, and 12th. For 10th and 12th graders, this is the second consecutive year MDMA use has increased. Past year use of MDMA increased among 8th graders from 1.7 percent in 1999 to 3.1 percent in 2000; from 4.4 percent to 5.4 percent among 10th graders; and from 5.6 percent to 8.2 percent among 12th graders. Also among 12th graders, the perceived availability of MDMA rose from 40.1 percent in 1999 to 51.4 percent in 2000.

Past year Ecstasy users aged 12 to 25 were more likely to have used other types of illicit drugs in the past year than those who did not use Ecstasy in the past year.

Marijuana Statistics

According to the UN's estimate, 141 million people around the world use marijuana. This represents about 2.5 percent of the world population.

Among teens 12 to 17, the average age of first trying marijuana was 14 years old.

Data has shown that people high on marijuana show the same lack of coordination on standard "drunk driver" tests as do people who have had to much to drink.

Reaction time for motor skills, such as driving is reduced by 41% after smoking 1 joint and is reduced 63% after smoking 2 joints.

Among teens 12 to 17, the average age of first trying marijuana was 14 years old.

Marijuana is a complex material containing 421 chemicals, 60 of which are only found in marijuana

Marijuana is California's largest cash crop.

600,000 Canadians have a criminal record for simple possession of marijuana

65% of people arrested for marijuana related crimes are for simple possession.

Approximately 50,000 Canadians are arrested each year for marijuana related crimes.

Heroin Statistics

According to Drug Abuse Warning Network, or DAWN, heroin and morphine accounted for 51% of drug deaths ruled accidental or unexpected in 1999.

Heroin is a highly addictive drug, and its use is a serious problem in America. Current estimates suggest that nearly 600,000 people need treatment for heroin addiction. Recent studies suggest a shift from injecting heroin to snorting or smoking because of increased purity and the misconception that these forms of use will not lead to addiction.

In addition to the effects of the drug itself, street heroin may have additives that do not readily dissolve and result in clogging the blood vessels that lead to the lungs, liver, kidneys, or brain. This can cause infection or even death of small patches of cells in vital organs.

The number of ED visits involving heroin/morphine increased 15 percent, from 84,409 to 97,287

The route of administration among heroin users entering treatment has been changing. In 1993, 74% of admissions for heroin abuse were injectors. By 1999, this had declined to 66%. There was an increase in admission for heroin inhalation for 23% in 1993 to 28% in 1999.

In 2000, as part of DAWN's year-end emergency data report, heroin related emergency room visits increased 15% from the last year.

According to the University of Michigan.s Monitoring the Future Study in 2002, 1.6% of 8th graders, 1.8% of 10th graders, and 1.7% of 12th graders surveyed reported using heroin at least once during their lifetime. That study also showed that 0.9% of 8th graders, 1.1% of 10th graders, and 1% of 12th graders reported using heroin in the past year

In another study, of those high school students surveyed in 2001 as part of the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, 3.1% reported using heroin at least once during their lifetime. Male students (3.8%) were more likely than female students (2.5%) to report lifetime heroin use.

During 2001, wholesale prices for South American heroin ranged from $50,000 to $250,000 per kilogram. Southeast and Southwest Asian heroin wholesale prices ranged from $35,000 to $120,000 per kilogram, and Mexican heroin ranged from $15,000 to $65,000 per kilogram. Street-level heroin usually sells for $10 per dose, although prices vary throughout the country.

The heroin addict spends between $150 to $200 per day to maintain a heroin addiction.

Crack Cocaine Statistics

According to the U.S. Sentencing Commission, only 5.5% of all federal crack defendants are high-level dealers.

Approximately 100 years after cocaine entered into use, a new variation of the substance emerged. This substance, crack, became enormously popular in the mid-1980s due in part to its almost immediate high and the fact that it is inexpensive to produce and buy.

Crack is a highly addictive form of cocaine that is typically smoked. The term "crack" refers to the crackling sound heard when the substance is heated, presumably from the sodium bicarbonate that is used in the production of crack.

In 2001, 2% of college students and 4.7% of young adults (ages 19.28) reported using crack cocaine at least once during their lifetimes. 0.9% of college students and 1.3% of young adults reported past year crack use, while 0.1% of college students and 0.4% of young adults reported using crack in the past month

Cocaine is a strong central nervous system stimulant. Physical effects of cocaine use, including crack, include constricted blood vessels and increased temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure. Users may also experience feelings of restlessness, irritability, and anxiety