Cocaine addictions may form quickly, but the cocaine drug does not. Cocaine is made from the leaves of the coca plant, which is native to South America. Peru, Bolivia, and Chili all have a cocaine production footprint, but the majority of cocaine comes from Columbia. Columbia plants have more of the alkaloids necessary to produce cocaine. It takes about 450-600 kilograms of fresh Colombian coca leaves to create 1 kilogram of cocaine base. Other strains of the plant can take more leaves. How is cocaine made from this innocent-looking plant? The process requires three broad steps, but there are often other steps that take place before the cocaine reaches the street. Let’s take a look at the process.
How is Cocaine Made?
The first step in how is cocaine made is the obvious growing and harvesting of the coca plant. Different strains of the plant contain different amounts of the necessary alkaloids required. Once the correct plants are grown in protected areas, the leaves are harvested and dried. Before the leaves are dried, they are soaked in gasoline to help separate the alkaloid. The gasoline is then drained off the leaves and they are dried.
After drying, the leaves are then soaked in a substance containing lime. There are a couple of different processes used to help extract the cocaine from the dried leaves. Acid and potassium are then added to the mixture to further the process. Next, the mixture is dissolved in acetone and then soaked in acid again. Finally, the entire mixture is strained and the resulting paste is left to dry. That is the brick of cocaine.
A second method also has the mixture being soaked in acetone, but the ending steps involve hand squeezing the mixture and then heating it in a microwave to dry the bricks.
Adding To the Original
In order to make more money on cocaine, many distributors add things to the mixture to help it stretch. Some of these are fairly harmless but others add to the toxicity of the cocaine. It is estimated that the cocaine found on the street is normally only forty percent pure. Most is mixed with baking soda, which is basically harmless. Other distributors use a substance such as levamisole. This is an ingredient that is used to kill worms in livestock and can cause problems with a person’s blood when ingested. A medical detox program is the best way to clean your system in case there are other substances mixed in that can make detoxing more dangerous.
How Does It Become Crack Cocaine
By mixing either ammonia or a mixture of baking soda and water, powdered cocaine can be transformed into a liquid that is then heated. This heating causes the substance to harden into a rock that is crack cocaine. This creates almost a different drug with its own set of side effects.
Do Not Wait to Get Addiction Help from Serenity House Detox Houston
Now that you have the answer to how is cocaine made, you can see why using it can be so harmful. You don’t need to keep letting this drug control you or your loved one’s lives. Help is available at Serenity House Detox Houston for those who are ready to get treatment. In addition to cocaine detox, we also offer:
Reach out to Serenity House Detox Houston 866.516.8356 today and get started on the road to recovery. Our compassionate staff has the experience necessary to help you gain the tools you need to make a break from cocaine’s control. Start your new life today.
