8 = THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY,APRIL10,2003
COVERSTORY
Photo illustration by John Nowak/Kansan
Cocaine... the underground drug nobody talks about
By Kevin Flaherty
kflaherty@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
B low, snow, coke. It all means the same thing. In the words of blues god Eric Clapton, cocaine.
he said he thought marijuana was a "lower-level drug." "Everywhere you look, the people with money now are
"If your thing is gone and you wanna ride on, cocaine. Don't forget this fact, you can't get it back, cocaine."
In Blow, a movie based on a true story, Johnny Depp played George Jung, the man who established the American cocaine market in the 1970s.
the ones who use," John said. "It's just not as cool to do pot; it's just not as elite."
At one point in the movie, he said if you bought cocaine in that time period in America, there was an 85 percent chance it was from him. The real-life Jung is still in prison.
Normally known as an '80s drug, cocaine is making somewhat of a comeback in Lawrence, said John, senior at the University of Kansas who did not want his last name used in this article. Although cocaine arrests have not gone up significantly in Lawrence, several students admit to its return to prominence in Lawrence's drug scene.
In the movie, Jung progresses from selling marijuana around California to selling cocaine in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
John began using cocaine because
Photo illustration by John Nowak/Kansas
About Cocaine
In its pure form, cocaine is a white crystalline powder extracted from the leaves of the South American coca plant, according to the Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse. On the street, pure cocaine is diluted or "cut" with other substances to increase the quantity, and thereby increase the profits of its sellers. Cocaine is typically a more expensive habit than marijuana.
According to cocaineeffects.com, the short-term effects of cocaine include increased temperature dilated pupils, constricted vessels increased blood pressure, mental alertness, increased energy decreased appetite and increased heart rate.
Cocaine is a strong central nervous system stimulant that interferes with the reabsorption process of dopamine, a chemical messenger associated with pleasure and movement. Extra dopamine is released as part of the brain's reward system and
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