NCJ Number
138977
Journal
American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology Volume: 12 Issue: 2 Dated: (1991) Pages: 126-131
Date Published
1991
Length
6 pages
Annotation
Recent research regarding cocaine's effects on the body is reviewed, with emphasis on its implications for the forensic aspects of cocaine abuse.
Abstract
During the last several years, a clearer understanding of cocaine's effects on the body has emerged. Metabolism and tissue distribution are now better understood. A diverse group of cocaine-related illnesses have been reported, but many appear to share the underlying mechanism of catecholamine toxicity. Knowledge of cocaine's metabolism makes possible certain conclusions about the route of ingestion, the time of use, and patterns of drug abuse in general. Knowledge of the histologic alterations known to be associated with cocaine use can pinpoint cocaine as the cause of death, even in cases with negligible blood levels. Correlations between psychological response and blood levels are fairly good, at least insofar as peak feelings of euphoria correlate with peak blood levels, but correlation between blood levels and other physiologic states is poor. In addition, few inferences can be made from the presence of metabolites found on urine testing, other than that the drug has been used within the last 810 days. 74 references