Types Of Cocaine, Ingredients & Their Dangers

Cocaine is created from the leaves of the coca plant that is native to many countries in Central and South America. When looking at the source of pure cocaine, the main ingredient of cocaine is Erythroxylum Coca. However, the active ingredients in cocaine can vary, particularly when it is not pure cocaine. Most cocaine sold on the streets has been altered or cut with other substances and compounds, including but not limited to:

• Talcum powder
• Ammonia
• Baking soda
• Lactose
• Sugar
• Caffeine
• Mannitol
• Inositol
• Procaine
• Phencyclidine
• Phenytoin
• Lignocaine
• Strychnine
• Levamisole
• Amphetamine
• Heroin

While some of these substances are rather harmless, others can be very toxic and make cocaine even more dangerous. For example, strychnine is a pesticide that can be lethal if consumed in large enough doses. Alternatively, heroin and amphetamines can cause more extreme effects and make cocaine even more addictive.

However, the primary ingredients of cocaine are relatively straightforward because it is derived from a plant. It is often the additives, fillers, and toxins that make the drug more powerful and dangerous. And this is not just something that is done by drug dealers or manufacturers. Many drug abusers mix cocaine with other drugs like fentanyl, an extremely addictive and dangerous narcotic that can lead to overdose and death.

Additionally, the ingredients involved in cocaine vary by type. Below, we will examine what goes into different types of cocaine and the effects of these ingredients.

Brown Cocaine

Brown cocaine is made using a combination of cocaine, amphetamines, and gunpower (nitroglycerin). As you can imagine, this is an extremely dangerous concoction that can greatly increase the risk of a heart attack or stroke. The use of amphetamines helps make the drug cocktail more potent, while the addition of gunpowder gives the cocaine its brown appearance and decreases the onset time.

Crack Cocaine

Crack cocaine is infamous for its addictive qualities. It is often smoked in a glass pipe, causing the drug to pass through the lungs and enter the central nervous system. This is the primary reason that crack cocaine creates such a potent (albeit short-lived) high. The quick rush and crash caused by crack cocaine make it far more addictive than standard powder cocaine. It is also important to note that crack is a lower purity form of cocaine that usually contains baking soda, entrapped water, and other impurities. These additives create what is often known as “yellow cocaine” due to the yellow or brown coloration.

Fish Scale Cocaine

The cocaine obtained on the street is almost never pure cocaine. In fact, most powder cocaine is roughly 50% to 70% pure cocaine. Alternatively, high-potency cocaine has a higher purity level — upwards of 90%. When cocaine is this pure, it has a shiny, pearly appearance. As a result, it is often called fish scale cocaine. Due to the lack of impurities, fish scale cocaine is more powerful, more expensive, and harder to obtain.

Cocaine Hydrochloride

Cocaine Hydrochloride is a form of cocaine that is prescribed to numb the mucus membranes inside the nose before a surgery or medical procedure. However, due to its numbing effects, it can also be abused as a recreational drug. Unlike regular cocaine, Cocaine Hydrochloride typically comes in a topical form that can be put directly on the skin. The effects can last anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours.

Pink Cocaine

Contrary to the name, Pink Cocaine is actually not cocaine at all. In fact, it is just a slang term for synthetic phenylethylamine 2C-B. Though the drug was developed in the 1970s for medicinal use, it was later labeled an illicit drug. Nowadays, it is commonly associated with parties and clubbing, as it is a psychedelic drug that has effects similar to LSD and MDMA. It often causes euphoria and mild hallucinations. And while not as dangerous or addictive as cocaine, Pink Cocaine can be made far more dangerous when mixed with other “party drugs,” including alcohol, cocaine, and ecstasy.

Pure Cocaine

You might think that pure cocaine would be the result of taking cocaine directly from cocaine plants, this is actually not the case. In fact, a complex scientific process must occur to get pure cocaine. It is prepared by neutralizing the salt substance with an alkaline solution. This helps remove impurities. The process can be taken a step further by using liquid-to-liquid extraction. In any case, this is how pure cocaine is created, which is far more potent than standard cocaine or cocaine that has purposefully been cut with additives (often known as “black cocaine”).

Synthetic Cocaine

Synthetic cocaine is a highly dangerous drug that is made using cathinone, which is similar in its molecular structure to amphetamines. The street name for synthetic cocaine is “bath salts.” The effects of synthetic cocaine can be extremely unpredictable, making it one of the most dangerous alternatives to standard cocaine. Synthetic cocaine can come in many different forms, including pills, crystals, white powder, or brown powder.