Part one of term paper
The potent drug was first prescribed as an anesthetic and a painkiller by doctors who believed that it was a safe substitute for morphine. The drug is a white, crystalline compound that has been processed from the leaves of the coca plant (Erythroxylum coca), a tropical shrub commonly found wild in Peru and Bolivia and cultivated in many oth ...

Part two of term paper
... compound. (Other well-known alkaloids are morphine, strychnine, and nicotine.) Cocaine stimulates the cortex of the brain, producing intense euphoria and the desire to repeat the experience; however, the drug has a highly toxic effect upon the central nervous system. The fine, white powder--also called snow, coke, or toot--can be tasted, but usually it is sniffed. It is readily absorbed into the bloodstream through the nasal mucous membranes, but it acts as an irritant to constrict blood ves ...