What you need to know:
Cocaine is a stimulant that can be used by snorting, rubbing on gums, or injection. Cocaine can be found in powdered or rock crystal form, which is known as crack.
What are the risks?
Short-term impacts include extreme happiness and energy, irritability, feeling sick to the stomach, restlessness, decreased appetite, and paranoia amongst others. The effects of cocaine, depending on how it’s used, can be felt almost immediately and wear off in about an hour.
Long-term health effects depend on how a person uses cocaine, and may result in damage to the heart, malnourishment, and risk of movement disorders, like Parkinson’s disease. It is possible to overdose on cocaine, which can lead to a heart attack, stroke, seizures or death.
Withdrawal symptoms can be very uncomfortable and include depression, insomnia, and slowed thinking.
Know the data:
In the 2018 MetroWest Adolescent Survey,1.6% of Natick High School students reported ever using cocaine.
No data available currently for cocaine.
According to data from the 2011 Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) report showed that cocaine was involved in 1 in 3 of drug misuse or abuse-related emergency department visits.