The Real Cost of Cocaine
Cocaine has been around for centuries and was formally used as a drug in many types of medications. Cocaine is a bitter tasting white powder that derives from the leaves of the coca plant that comes from South America.
Since the 1800’s scientists were using the leaves of the coca plant for medicinal purposes and even adding it to beverages, such as coca cola (hence the name). Cocaine has now been found to have harmful effects on a person’s physical health and although is not commonly used in medicine anymore, it is still sold on the streets for illicit purposes.
Cocaine is typically sold as a white powder, or Crack, which is crystallized cocaine made with baking soda that can be smoked out of a pipe. Crystallized cocaine is known as crack cocaine.
People who abuse cocaine typically will form a quick tolerance to the drug causing them to need more and more of the drug in order to receive the high they want. This cycle will continue until a person stops using the drug and gets help for their addiction.
Cocaine can cause a person to have a sudden heart attack or have seizures without any warnings or symptoms. Cocaine is a stimulant that will immediately effect a person’s brain, causing them to feel more awake and more energized, as well as cause a person to feel more happy by effecting their serotonin levels. Prolonged use of cocaine can cause a person permanent damage to their organs and to their brain.
The Cost of Cocaine
The cost of cocaine varies depending on purity.
According to the Drug Policy Alliance, cocaine was more expensive 30 years ago, but since the 1980s, cocaine has become cheaper and more available, but the purity and cost of cocaine will vary, meaning the more pure the drug is the higher the cost of the drug will be.
When it comes to the cost of cocaine there is not a set price. When a drug dealer gets cocaine they may add other powders and chemicals to the product so that they can sell more of it, therefore destroying the purity of the cocaine. The more pure the cocaine is the higher of the price it will be.
Cocaine is typically sold by the gram and then further distributed into smaller amounts. Throughout the years the price of cocaine has decreased a bit, but it is still an expensive drug to purchase.
According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, in 1990 the price for one gram of cocaine where the purity and inflation was adjusted was 278 dollars in America. In 2000 the average price for one gram was 195 dollars and in 2010 the average price for one gram was 169.
Although the price for purer cocaine has decreased throughout the years, the price for less pure cocaine has increased throughout the years.