Appendix B: Production of Cocaine Hydrochloride andCocaine Base
Production of Cocaine Hydrochloride
Cocaine hydrochloride, which is cocaine in its powdered form, is primarily producedfrom the leaves of one of two species of erythroxylon plants -- erythroxylon coca orerythroxylon novogranatense --that are found principally in Peru, Bolivia, and Colombia.In one of the most commonly used procedures, coca leaves are pulverized; mixed with analkaline material (e.g., baking soda), an organic solvent (e.g., kerosene,benzol, or gasoline), and water, and then shaken. The water and leaves are then discarded.An acid (e.g., sulfuric acid) is mixed with the solution to remove residualsolvents. Baking soda is added and the mixture is dried, creating a putty-like substancecalled "coca paste" or "basuco."
In some South American countries, the paste itself is smoked instead of being furtherprocessed into powder. The practice of smoking coca paste has never been popularized inthe United States . Coca paste is almost invariably converted into powder cocaine in theproducing country before being exported to the United States. This is accomplished by,first, dissolving coca paste in hydrochloric acid and water, and then adding potassiumsalt, which causes undesirable substances to separate from the mixture. When ammonia isadded to the remaining solution, powder cocaine precipitates out, and is then removed anddried. While the active ingredient in powder cocaine -- cocaine alkaloid -- does notdiffer from that in coca paste or crack, the salt that is added during this processrenders cocaine hydrochloride unsmokeable.(1) However, thesalt renders the cocaine hydrophilic:i.e., readily dissolvable in water. Thus,cocaine hydrochloride can be mixed with liquid and injected into the bloodstream orinsufflated (snorted) and absorbed through the nasal mucous membranes. Injecting andinsufflating are referred to as "routes of administration."
The route of administration determines the rate at which a drug is absorbed into thebloodstream, which in turn determines the intensity of the body's reaction to a drug.Absorption of a drug is affected by two factors: the amount of blood flowing to the siteof consumption and the surface area over which the drug is absorbed. When cocaine isadministered through nasal insufflation, it is absorbed through the relatively small nasalmucosa in the nasal cavity. It appears in the bloodstream three to five minutes afteradministration; maximum psychotropic effect is achieved in 20 minutes; and the effects aresustained for roughly one hour after peak effect. When cocaine is injected, it immediatelyreaches the bloodstream; reaches the brain within one minute; maximum psychotropic effectis reached in four minutes; and the effects linger for about 30 minutes. Injecting andinsufflating are inefficient routes of administration when compared to smoking, thecharacteristics of which are described below.
The upsurge in cocaine use from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s was primarily the resultof increased consumption of cocaine hydrochloride administered intranasally bymiddle-class and upper-class cocaine users. Few cocaine users were injecting cocaineduring this period, and even fewer were making the effort to convert it to cocaine base.The emergence of crack cocaine fundamentally altered these demographics.
Production of Cocaine Base (Freebase and Crack Cocaine)
Cocaine base is cocaine hydrochloride that has been reverse-engineered back to achemical base state, thereby rendering it smokeable. During the process of creatingcocaine base, the cocaine alkaloid is "freed" from the salt that was addedduring the production of cocaine hydrochloride. The resulting substance is chemicallysimilar to coca paste, but without many of the adulterants found in paste.
When cocaine is smoked as coca paste or crack, the intensity of the sensation is saidto be indescribably intense. The absorption of a drug through the air sacs of the lungs,which have the surface area the size of a tennis court, is rapid. Crack takes about 19seconds to reach the brain. Maximum psychotropic effect is attained approximately twominutes after inhalation. The physiological and psychotropic effects of crack aresustained for approximately 30 minutes after the peak effects are attained.
Since the 1970s, cocaine hydrochloride has been converted into one of two forms ofsmokeable cocaine base, freebase cocaine or crack cocaine. Both are referred to as"cocaine base," because both are in the chemical base state and can therefore besmoked. Freebase cocaine was used by a small community of affluent cocaine users duringthe 1970s and early 1980s. Although crack may have been used during the same timeframe, itdid not gain notoriety until the early 1980s.
Freebase cocaine is manufactured by dissolving powder cocaine in water and a strongalkaloid solution, such as ammonia, to remove the hydrochloric acid. When ether or anotherorganic solvent is added, the solid substance that crystallizes is purified cocaine. Therock of cocaine is placed in a pipe, which often is glass and fitted with one or more meshscreens upon which the chunk of cocaine rests. Technically, crack is not smoked: the userheats the side of the bowl, causing the cocaine base to vaporize, and inhales the cocainealkaloid-laden vapors through a stem connected to the bowl.
Crack cocaine is created through a process that is substantially similar to that usedto create freebase, except without the use of volatile chemicals. Powder cocaine isdissolved in a solution of sodium bicarbonate and water. The solution is boiled and asolid substance separates from the boiling mixture. When this solid substance is removedand allowed to dry, the resulting chunks or "rocks" of cocaine are"crack."
1.When heated, cocaine base, which has a melting point of 89 to 92degrees Celsius, will sublimate or, put differently, will convert from a solid state to avapor without becoming a liquid. This allows it to be inhaled. Cocaine hydrochloride, witha melting point of 190 to 195 degrees Celsius, will simply burn at lower temperatures,losing almost all of its psychoactive properties before it ever becomes a vapor.
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