Medical Benefits and Disadvantages of Using Cocaine. Health & Medicine

Medical Benefits and Disadvantages of Using Cocaine
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Medical Benefits and Disadvantages of Using Cocaine
Cocaine is a chemical that occurs naturally from a coca plant or Exythroxylum coca. In most cases, when people mention cocaine, common thoughts are the adverse consequences of addiction and misuse. The drug is highly abused in the streets, and many individuals rarely discuss its medical uses. Although cocaine is a prominent illicit drug, it has numerous legitimate uses. In particular, it acts as a vasoconstriction agent and valuable local anesthetic. Before the drug was banned in 1922, some people, such as indigenous Peruvians, used it in religious ceremonies. Sigmund Freud, a renowned neurologist and psychoanalyst, used cocaine at some point his life and admitted that it cured sexual impotence and depression. Although at that particular time, there was no evidence to show the medical benefits of cocaine, some users admitted that it was helpful. However, when this drug gained popularity in the United States of America (USA) in the 1900s, the number of deaths associated with it increased rapidly. Since the drug enabled users to overcome depression, people used it any time they were stressful, which made the majority of them to be addicted. As a schedule II drug, cocaine is highly addictive and impacts the nervous system directly. For this reason, the primary focus of the paper is on the medical benefits and overall disadvantages of using cocaine.
Cocaine is used by people across different age groups in the USA. Additionally, users come from different cultures and ethnicities. In 2012, a report by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) indicated that approximately 4.7 million individuals with over twelve years admitted using the drug at least once in their life. In particular, the research found out that white people have a high likelihood of using the drug as compared to Hispanic and Black individuals. The percentages of the White, Hispanic, and Black users were 16.9%, 11.6%, and 9.7%, respectively (Palamar et al., 2015). Adults with ages between 18 and 35 years are the ones who are likely to abuse cocaine. During this age group, individuals are independent and employed, which is the reason why they can use their money to buy anything they want without restriction from anyone. A report by the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) indicates that around 968,000 individuals aged 12 years and above started using cocaine in 2015 in the USA. Indeed, this was a 26% increase as compared to the new cocaine users in 2014. Many people use this psychoactive substance for their first time when they are in colleges or universities. As the number of cocaine users continued to rise, cocaine-related deaths also increased gradually. For example, in 2012, there were about 4,400 deaths, 2013 had 4,900, 2014 had 5,400, and 2015 had 6,800 (Hughes, Williams, Lipari, & Horn, 2016). Consequently, young adults have a high likelihood of using cocaine since they are curious to try numerous types of drugs due to peer pressure.
Cocaine has several medical benefits even though it is an illegal drug, which is banned in the USA. Specifically, doctors use cocaine to block nerve impulse conduction since it is an effective local anesthetic. The psychoactive substance causes anesthesia and vasoconstriction by blocking the norepinephrine uptake. In most cases, it is used in surgical procedures that involve the respiratory tract. The medical application of the drug requires a topical mixture or solution. The cocaine hydrochloride has three primary concentrations: 10%, 4%, and 1%. Due to the high toxicity level of the first solution, it is not usually used by doctors. The solutions with 4% and 1% are the ones commonly used by physicians. Cocaine hydrochloride is applied to the throat, mouth, and nose during specific surgical procedures, such as wound cleaning, stitches, and biopsy (Hughes, Williams, Lipari, & Horn, 2016). The drug numbs the region where it is applied for around two minutes, enabling doctors to carry on with the surgery. Additionally, cocaine causes vasoconstriction, which is the narrowing of the blood vessels. For this reason, it decreases swelling and bleeding, which prevents loss of blood during surgeries. Many people who become addicted to cocaine are those who use it to treat depression. The drug enables individuals to temporarily feel better about themselves, hence overcoming stressful situations for a short period. As such, these people use it numerous times, which leads to addiction. When cocaine is mixed with other compounds, it can be used to treat skin lacerations because it is one of the most effective vasoconstrictors. As a result, cocaine has medical benefits, which is the reason why it should not only be associated with adverse effects.
Although banning cocaine is the best way to reduce the number of deaths and the rate of addiction, the psychoactive substance should be made available for medical usage. Besides, pain makes individuals react in different ways, some of which involve lowering one’s dignity and integrity. Physicians cannot collaborate with patients who are in pain. For this reason, cocaine has significant contributions since it makes individuals numb, which means that they remain stable during critical medical procedures (Palamar, Davies, Ompad, Cleland, & Weitzman, 2015). For example, dentists can spray it in the mouth of a patient to extract a tooth or carry out any other minor surgery that takes a few minutes. The controlled usage of cocaine is vital since it improves patient care. The government must have banned the use of this drug in the streets to prevent individuals from dying and becoming addicted to it, which ruins their lives. The only way that cocaine can be used without being abused is by mixing it with other compounds to make medicines. For instance, it can be used to make antidepressants. However, its percentage should be minimal to reduce the addictive property that makes users over-dependent on it. Individuals in different socioeconomic statuses or classes should be provided with this drug under strict prescriptions where the patient condition should be assessed regularly to identify whether one requires medicines or not. Even though cocaine is illegal, its medicinal properties can be used to improve the lives of many people.
Cocaine has adverse effects on the user’s brain. Specifically, it causes metacognitive impairment, which affects users’ abilities in making rational decisions. Moeller et al. (2016)...