![]() The dual aim is to curb substance abuse and reduce the crime associated with cocaine production, much of which is controlled by South American drug cartels. This can be a dangerous operation as comedian Richard Pryor discovered when he accidentally ignited the highly flammable ether while trying to evaporate it and burned himself seriously.Ī great deal of effort has gone into slowing the entry of cocaine into North America and Europe. Heating the ether extract drives off the solvent and leaves behind the free-base cocaine. The cocaine, liberated by the action of ammonia, dissolves in the ether layer that floats on top and can be separated. When these are put into a pipe and smoked they make a cracking sound, hence the term “crack cocaine.”Ī purer form of free-base can be made by dissolving cocaine hydrochloride in a basic solution of ammonia and adding a solvent such as ether. If the hydrochloride is heated in a spoon with sodium bicarbonate, the free-base cocaine separates as an oily layer on top that can be skimmed off and left to harden into pieces that look like small stones. Reacting it with a base converts it to “free-base” cocaine that is volatile and can be inhaled to produce a short, powerful high. This often means proving a form of cocaine that can be smoked for a quick, intense hit.Ĭocaine hydrochloride decomposes with heat so it cannot be smoked. Of course, crime also enters the picture because abusers need money to support their habit and criminals will do whatever it takes to meet the demand from which they profit. “Formication” is the interesting term used to describe this hallucination. This can have all sorts of consequences, including paranoia, aggression, high blood pressure and sensations such as a feeling that parasites are crawling under the skin. However, the good feeling is short term and puts the user on a path towards more frequent indulgence. The drug boosts the activity of the neurotransmitter dopamine that has been termed the “feel-good” chemical. Residual solvent is pressed out, and presto, powdered cocaine hydrochloride is ready to be snorted or dissolved in water and injected.Īlthough cocaine isn’t physically addictive in the sense that no symptoms are experienced on withdrawal, it is addictive in the practical sense since users are unwilling to give up the euphoria it provides. This is shipped off to Colombia for purification that involves heating the crude product in a solvent such as acetone or ethyl acetate to which concentrated hydrochloric acid is then added resulting in the crystallization of cocaine hydrochloride. That layer is treated with a base, usually baking soda, to yield an impure form of “free-base” cocaine. ![]() The solution is filtered, treated with an acid to form a cocaine salt, and the acid layer is separated from the gasoline. The leaves are soaked in gasoline that extracts the cocaine from the leaves. The processing actually starts in primitive jungle labs close to areas where the “crop” is grown. Today, coca plants are cultivated on large tracts of land, mostly illegally, in many South American countries before ending up in Colombia for processing into cocaine which is smuggled into the U.S. Chewing the leaves with a bit of lime, calcium hydroxide, liberates the cocaine more readily. But before it travels up people’s noses or is inhaled in its vapourized form, chemistry has to swing into action.Ĭocaine is a natural component of the erythroxylum coca plant, the leaves of which have long been chewed by South American natives to provide stamina and a mild feeling of euphoria. And let’s point out to the “natural is better” crowd that cocaine comes from a plant. In Canada, aside from alcohol, cocaine represents the highest cost to the criminal justice system. But judging by the growth of cocaine use, the cameras have not had a great impact. The video cameras are supposed keep an eye on the ammonia tanks and deter theft. And ammonia is readily converted into ammonium carbonate, which is what illicit drug producers need to make “crack” a form of “free-base” cocaine. Farmers use ammonia as a fertilizer that is stored in large tanks on the property. Why would farmers be interested in these I wondered? A chat with a salesperson quickly brought on a forehead-slapping “aha” moment. ![]() To my surprise, there were also a number of booths selling video surveillance equipment. ![]() While walking around the exhibit hall at an agricultural conference a few years ago, when we could still travel, I perused the usual displays of farming equipment and industry booths promoting various pesticide and fertilizer formulations. ![]()
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