People believe that Cocaine comes as a white powdery substance without any odor. However, this is not true. Cocaine is available in many colors and has a pungent taste. But what does cocaine smell like?
Knowing how to identify Cocaine by taste, look, and smell will help you know whether your loved one is addicted to this dangerous drug.
What is Cocaine?
Cocaine is a strongly addictive stimulant that is often glamorized in pop culture and movies as a “rich man’s drug.” However, Cocaine is a bit more expensive than other substances like meth, heroin, or crack; it is extremely dangerous.
Cocaine is made from a cocoa plant that is native to South America. Acids and solvents are mixed with plants to extract cocaine hydrochloride. After Cocaine is extracted from the plant, it is manufactured and dried to form crystals.
Cocaine has many street names like:
- Rock
- Coke
- Snow
- Fish scale
You can smoke, snort or inject Cocaine. Once it enters the body, Cocaine raises the dopamine levels in your brain. Dopamine is a messenger which increases alertness, energy, and confidence in a human. The brain is not meant to release high levels of dopamine for a long time; therefore, you slowly develop an addiction to Cocaine.
As Cocaine is dangerous and highly addictive, it is necessary to identify what does Cocaine smell like, taste like, and look like to keep your loved ones protected.
How Does Cocaine Look?
Identifying Cocaine by the way it looks is not easy. Before it is broken down into a fine powder, it comes in rock form. Mostly the color of Cocaine ranges from pure white to off-white. It has a pearly and shiny appearance. However, Cocaine can be beige or light pink in color.
Many street dealers end up adding cheap cutting agents to the cocaine supply to boost profits and make supply more potent. Additives like baby laxatives, talcum powder, and fentanyl make Cocaine appear bright white. Some other cocaine cutting agents are vitamins, procaine, or powdered caffeine that give off beige or off-white color to Cocaine.
What Is The Taste Of Cocaine Like?
One easy way to identify Cocaine is by its taste; however, we do not recommend you to taste it. It usually has a bitter and tart taste.
While people are consuming Cocaine, snorting, or injecting Cocaine, others rub cocaine powder on gums to enjoy the numbing effect. The stronger and pure the Cocaine is, the bitter it will taste.
What Does Cocaine Smell Like?
Pure Cocaine has a floral and sweet smell, however, because of the complex extraction process of Cocaine as well as cutting agents that are present in Cocaine sold on the streets.
Some chemicals used to manufacture Cocaine with distinct smells are:
- Carbonate salt
- Kerosene
- Gasoline
- Diesel
- Potassium permanganate
- Sulfuric acid
- Ammonia
- Caustic soda
What does Cocaine smell like highly varies depending on the administration method used by the person? A person who snorts Cocaine will notice a metallic or chemical smell; however, someone who is readily smoking drugs may get the smell of rubber or burnt plastic.
What Does Cocaine Feel Like?
As Cocaine is a stimulant drug, it increases vital body functions like breathing, heart rate, and body temperature. It gives a sudden jolt of energy which makes the user talkative, confident, and more awake.
You can identify a cocaine consumer by knowing its short-term side effects.
- Nausea
- Mental alertness
- Increased boost of energy
- Dilated pupils
- Fast or irregular heartbeat
- Restlessness
- Irritability
- Hypersensitivity to light, sound, and touch
- Paranoia
- Tremors or muscle twitches
- High blood pressure
- Talkativeness
- Speaking quickly
- Anxiety
The effects of Cocaine instantly start to appear after cocaine consumption which lasts for a few minutes depending on the administration method. For instance, snorting Cocaine produces 15-30 minutes of high while smoking the high lasts only for 5 to 10 minutes.
Identify Cocaine-Related Paraphernalia
Since the smell, look, and taste of Cocaine varies greatly, identifying the paraphernalia used by the user can help in identifying the Cocaine. Firstly, Cocaine is sold in small plastic bags, which can be found at specific stores or even online.
These are resealable bags that are similar to sandwich bags but are much smaller in size. The bags even have pictures or designs on them. Some other cocaine paraphernalia depends on the way a person is consuming these drugs.
A person who snorts will have cut-off straws, a razor, and a small flat surface like a mirror with powder residue. In comparison, someone who smokes Cocaine will carry a lighter, tin foil, metal pipe, etc. A person injecting Cocaine will have spoons with bent handles, lighters, syringes, and tourniquets.
Final Words
In 2019 more than 16,000 people died of a Cocaine overdose, as reported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. These numbers keep increasing; therefore, identifying what does Cocaine smell like, look like, and taste like comes in handy to keep your loved ones protected.
