Causes and Effects of Nicotine and Cocaine
... illegal. Nicotine and cocaine are two different things that may be just as addictive as each other but they certainly do not produce the same effect. Let us take a closer look at the properties of nicotine. Nicotine is a chemical, C10H 14N 2, which is found in the tobacco plant. People say that pure nicotine (a colorless, odorous liquid) is poisonous. You would think nobody would want to do such a thing, smoke poison. Nicotine is quite different from cocaine. The effects of any drug demand on such factors as: amount taken, past drug experience, manner in which the drug is taken, and where it is taken. Cocaine's short-term effects appear soon after a single dose and disappear within a few minutes or hours. When taken in small amounts (up to 100 mg), cocaine usually makes the user feel euphoric, energetic, talkative, and mentally alert. It can also temporarily dispel the need for food and sleep. On the other hand, it can make some people feel contemplative, anxious, or even panic-stricken. Some people find that the drug helps them perform simple physical and intellectual tasks more quickly; others experience just the opposite. Physical symptoms include accelerated heartbeat and breathing, and higher blood pressure and body temperature. Large amounts (several hundred milligrams or more) intensify users' "high," but may also lead to bizarre, erratic, and violent behavior. These users may experience tremors, muscle twitches, and paranoia. With repeated doses over time, users experience the drug's long-term effect such as: restlessness, jitters, insomnia, paranoia, and eventually hallucinations that replace the happy place or “high” the user receives from taking the drug. The drug can lead even so far into forms of schizophrenia. How could I suggest to Americans that cocaine and nicotine are equally dangerous, damaging and addictive? While they are both allegedly addictive that is where the similarity ends, because the effects of cocaine abuse are...