1.+Introduction

= **Introduction** =

__ **History of Cocaine** __
The use of Coca (a bush that grows in the Andes and produces cocaine) is traced back to 5000 BC (Ksir, Hart, & Ray, 2008). One of the purposes of the drug was its ability to prevent individuals from becoming fatigued and allowing them to run long distances with great bundles (Ksir et al., 2008). Towards the 16th century, coca was treated as money by the Incas in Peru; The Spanish treated it in the same way, as they paid Natives for mining in the form of coca leaves (Ksir et al., 2008).

The Europeans became interested in the coca leaf in the 19th century, after three individuals brought it to the surface. Angelo Mariani introduced the public to coca wine, which earned him a medal of appreciation from the pope; Dr. W. S. Halsted experimented with cocaine as a local anesthetic; and Sigmund Freud studied cocaine as treatment for psychological and physical ailments (Ksir et al., 2008, p.126).

Early legal controls on cocaine were interesting. In the United States, between 1887 and 1914, over 40 states passed laws to regulate cocaine use and distribution. As a result of this, the use of cocaine caused an epidemic, with concerns for addiction and homicidal tendencies (Ksir et al., 2008, p.128). These public concerns were an influence on the initiation of The Harrison Act of 1914, taxing the importation and sale of cocaine and other drugs (Ksir et al., 2008, p. 129). In the 1960s, respected psychiatrists were recorded telling the public that cocaine is not harmful or addictive. Because it was so expensive up to 1985, the use of this drug was associated with wealth and fame (Ksir et al., 2008, p. 130). Once the public realized it was a problem, the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 came about, whereby legal consequences were threatened for those transporting cocaine (Ksir et al., 2008, p. 131).



__ **Forms of Cocaine** __
Cocaine can take on many forms. Coca paste, made from mixing the coca leaves with an organic solvent, can be mixed with tobacco and smoked (Ksir, Hart, & Ray, 2008, p. 129). The most common form of pure cocaine is cocaine hydrochloride, in powder form, which can be snorted (sniffed) or injected intravenously. Crack Cocaine, another form, is a lump of smokable cocaine derived from mixing cocaine with simple household chemicals (Ksir et al., 2008).

__ **Users of Cocaine: Causes for Concern** __
Extensive cocaine use can lead to increased CNS stimulation, which can result in convulsions, as well as respiratory or cardiac arrest (Ksir et al., 2008, p. 133). Cocaine can also induce ventricular fibrillation, which is a heart rhythm that is out of control (Ksir et al., 2008). Damage to the heart has been suggested with long-term use of cocaine.

Regular use of cocaine through snorting can irritate the nose, eventually causing an inflamed and continuously runny nose (Ksir et al., 2008, p. 134). Irritability and restlessness can also occur in the event of a cocaine binge (Ksir et al., 2008).



__ **What we are looking into: The effects on infants and children** __
We are looking into the effect of cocaine on infants and children whose mothers use the drug when pregnant. As an introduction to the behavioral, cognitive, and physical effects of cocaine on infants, please find the link below to the 10 minute video on crack babies (embedding was disabled by user: link will take you to www.youtube.com in a new window).

A doctor in the video shows one of the infants who was abandoned by his mother, and he shows the audience that this baby displays increased muscle tone, which is negative for a child, as they are very stiff. Another child, discussed near the end of the video, is blind, almost deaf and cannot walk, with no mother and in the care of a facility. The video also shows mothers who lost everything to cocaine, including their children. To view the video, click here.

Our group will be sharing the research that has suggested behavioral, cognitive, and physical effects on infants and children when prenatally exposed to cocaine.