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The main ingredient in cocaine is pulled from the leaves of a coca plant. In order to do this there's a few things that need to be done: soak the leaves in gasoline, mix that with acid, filter the mixture through a cloth, dry the mixture, mix the powder with a solvent (such as acetone), and then press and heat the remainder. Dealers often dilute cocaine with things that can be found around the house such as cornstarch, talcum powder, baking soda, or flour and sometimes the things used to dilute cocaine aren't so healthy.

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Cocaine comes in many forms like a white powder, paste, or a solidified, rocky texture (which is crack-cocaine). All of these forms produce the same effects: rapid-onset high, speeds up various physiological processes, and influences both short- and long-term mental health. Not all cocaine is abused though. Cocaine is considered a schedule II controlled substance and can be used to help with pain in medical procedures. The short-term effects that are the reason for cocaine's addictive power are feelings of euphoria, increased energy, higher self-esteem, and elevated mood. Along with these "good" effects, there is also the given other side of bad effects, which include feelings of restlessness, irritability and anxiety, panic, and paranoia. Whether used for a short or long period of time, the end side effects can be the same. These include tremors, muscle twitches or tics, paranoia, vertigo, constricted blood vessels, dilated pupils, increased heart rate/blood pressure/body temperature, and decreased sexual function.

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The age group that's well known for abusing cocaine is 18-25. All ages engage in this risky activity though. There are 7,000+ cocaine-related deaths in the US each year. People that abuse cocaine go after the high that it gives them. Since this high doesn't last very long, depending on how you ingest it, continuous use is the reason that people get addicted and that increases their chance of overdose.

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Pharmacological
- There's no specific medication that's approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- Research being done on medications to fix the neurotransmitters in the brain affected by cocaine use
-  Disulfiram is used to treat alcoholism and that has showed the most promise in reducing cocaine use, but doctors don't know why and it doesn't work for everybody
- A cocaine vaccine is being tested to help prevent relapse
- Medical interventions are in the early stages and the hope is to use engineered human enzymes to breakdown the cocaine in a person's system to counter the effects of an overdose
Behavioral Interventions
- Contingency Management is a highly effective treatment. Prizes are awarded for drug-free urine tests and patients will receive chips or points that they can turn in at the end of their treatment and receive things that will help better their lives and keep them busy
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
- helps patients develop skills that they can use to avoid situations where cocaine will be present
- skills to cope effectively with the problems associated with drug use
Therapeutic Communities
- residencies where drug users can stay for 6-12 months with other drug users so they can help and understand each other so they can both change their behaviors
- rehabilitation and other services help people focus on reentering society on their own successfully

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Cocaine used to be everywhere, and it was legal. When used right, cocaine can be a anesthetic and help reduce bleeding of the mucous membranes in the mouth, nose, and throat. Colombia produces 70-80% of the world's cocaine. The number of people who have ever used cocaine has almost doubled from 2004 to 2016. Right now cocaine use is at a 15-year high. In countries like Colombia, Mexico, and Peru, possessing a small amount of cocaine isn't considered a crime.

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Part of a drug ring was busted and ten people were arrested. This ring stretched from Saginaw to Detroit to Grand Rapids. Five hundred grams of cocaine were found during the arrests.

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Federal agents and local police agencies arrested several people Wednesday, November 7 in a large cocaine conspiracy around the state.

Part of a drug ring that stretched from Saginaw to Detroit to Grand Rapids, ten suspects in all were arrested and indicted for conspiracy to possess and distribute cocaine and cocaine base. The U.S. Attorney's Office for Michigan's Eastern District says the conspiracy has been ongoing since at least the summer of 2017. Investigators found more than 500 grams of the drugs during the arrests.

The indicted suspects are:

Rodney D. O'Bryan, 52, of Saginaw

Demetrius T. Chappell, 48, of Redford Township

Devitri D. Santos, 40, of Saginaw

Christopher L. Roy, 46, of Detroit

Malcolm D. O'Bryan, 60, of Grand Rapids

Kevin D. Shacks, 52, of Saginaw

Robert E. Brooks, 46, of Saginaw

Edward Bryant Jr., 58, of Saginaw

Thomas J. McKinley, 44, of Saginaw

Mack A. McClain, 32, of Saginaw

Numerous agencies were involved in the investigation, including the DEA, FBI, state police, the Michigan Army National Guard, Bay Area Narcotics Enforcement Team and local police agencies.

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Feds Bust Cocaine Ring in Michigan | WSGW 790 AM

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Federal agents and local police agencies arrested several people Wednesday, November 7 in a large cocaine conspiracy around the state. Part of a drug ring that stretched from Saginaw to Detroit to Grand Rapids, ten suspects in all were arrested and indicted for conspiracy to possess and distribute cocaine and cocaine base.

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Colombia's cocaine production is at an all-time high with the US being its number one consumer. America has given Colombia millions of dollars to try and assist on their war on drugs. Colombia is also making their own efforts by compensating farmers who agree to stop growing coca and switch to safer crops.

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Colombian cocaine production hit record levels in 2017, according to newly released UN statistics.

The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) says production rose about 31% year on year to some 1,400 tonnes, cultivated on 171,000 hectares.

The agency warned production could harm recent peace-building efforts.

Colombia is the world's largest producer of cocaine, much of which ends up in the US, which is the world's largest consumer.

The battle over Colombia's coca fields

Drones hunt cocaine in Colombia

Gloria María Borrero Restrepo, Colombia's justice minister, reportedly called the data "really very worrying".

How much is being produced?

According to the UNODC report, the coca production acreage in Colombia last year was the highest ever recorded level, increasing by 25,000 hectares from 2016.

The total acreage under coca cultivation was an estimated 17% higher in 2017 than 2016.

The report said the potential production of cocaine had a value of $2.7bn (£2bn) in the local market.

The UN said the region bordering the Pacific ocean in Colombia was the most intensively cultivated.

On its own, the state of Narino on the frontier with Ecuador has more farmland dedicated to coca than the whole of Peru, which is another large producer.

Eighty per cent of the coca has been grown in the same area for the past 10 years, while crops produce 33% more coca leaf - the main cocaine ingredient - than they did in 2012.

How is it being tackled?

The country has fought for years against cocaine production, with the US providing around $400m annually to assist in Colombia's war on drugs.

Last year, Colombia also signed a $300m agreement with the UN aimed at reducing the production of cocaine by compensating farmers who agree to switch from growing coca to safer crops.

In August, newly elected President Ivan Duque told reporters the government would create a new drug-fighting policy, saying the goal was to have "concrete results" in the next four years.

A scheme to use drones to spray coca crops with herbicide has, however, attracted criticism.

Mr Duque's predecessor, Juan Manuel Santos, suspended aerial fumigation using the chemical glyphosate in 2015, following warnings by the World Health Organization (WHO) that the chemical could be linked to cancer.

The country's cocaine trade is still flourishing despite the 2016 peace deal in Colombia, which ended five decades of armed conflict with major rebel group the Farc.

Some blame the government for concentrating too hard on peace, while others said that by going clean the Farc rebels left a vacuum in the trade they once controlled.

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Colombian cocaine production hit record levels in 2017, according to newly released UN statistics. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) says production rose about 31% year on year to some 1,400 tonnes, cultivated on 171,000 hectares. The agency warned production could harm recent peace-building efforts.

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“Cocaine Addiction Facts & Statistics.” Beacon House, beaconhouse.org/.

“Colombia Cocaine Production Acreage at 'Record Level'.” BBC News, BBC, 20 Sept. 2018, www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-45578492.

“Drug Abuse Treatment – Alcohol and Substance Abuse Programs.” DrugAbuse.com, drugabuse.com/.

“Feds Bust Cocaine Ring in Michigan.” WSGW 790 AM, 8 Nov. 2018, www.wsgw.com/feds-bust-cocaine-ring-in-michigan/.

“Information About Illegal Drugs & Alcohol Abuse - Drug-Free World.” Foundation for a Drug-Free World, www.drugfreeworld.org/.

“Las Vegas Addiction Treatment Center.” Desert Hope, deserthopetreatment.com/.

National Institute on Drug Abuse. “Cocaine.” NIDA, 6 May 2016, www.drugabuse.gov/.

The University of Queensland, Jason Ferris, et al. “Weekly Dose: Cocaine, the Glamour Drug of the '70s, Is Making a Comeback.” Theconversation.com, The Conversation, 9 Mar. 2018, theconversation.com/.