What Is Cocaine Made Of?

How & Where Is Cocaine Produced?

Cocaine (scientific name benzoylmethylecgonine) is a psychoactive alkaloid derived from the leaves of the coca plant, native to northern and western South America. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Columbia remains the world’s leading producer of cocaine (51%), followed by Peru (36%) and Bolivia (13%). (1)

To produce cocaine, coca leaves are harvested, chopped, and mixed with an alkaline (e.g., cement) and a flammable solvent (e.g., gasoline). (2) A chemical reaction separates the cocaine from the leaves and additional liquids. The cocaine base is extracted as a paste and then sold to a distributor.

Next, the base is dissolved with acetone or ether to remove impurities. Hydrochloric acid is added, causing the cocaine to crystallize out of the solution as the cocaine hydrochloride salt (cocaine HCI). Cocaine HCI is then dried or heated and pressed into bricks for distribution.

Additives & Adulterants Used To Cut Cocaine

The purer the cocaine, the more expensive it is, and the more incentive dealers have to add bulk to their product and make it more profitable. Additives can include diluents or relatively innocuous ingredients, such as cornstarch, talc, baking soda, or flour. However, sometimes powerful, inexpensive, but dangerous adulterants are used to enhance the drug’s effects. Common additives and adulterants cut with cocaine include the following:

Topical Local Anesthetics

Benzocaine, lidocaine, novocaine, and procaine are common topical local anesthetics used by health professionals. (3) They are also utilized as cocaine adulterants because they are relatively inexpensive and induce similar numbing effects. They can also be found in powder form, so they are easily mixed and concealed within cocaine. Unfortunately, those who use coke cut with these anesthetics are at risk for a variety of severe health consequences, including acute toxicity, convulsions, seizures, heart problems, and a life-threatening condition known as methemoglobinemia. (4)

Levamisole

Levamisole is a drug used to destroy parasitic worms. It is sometimes used as an adulterant in cocaine because it increases dopamine levels in the brain, enhancing the overall euphoric effects of cocaine use. Unfortunately, when this drug is combined with cocaine, serious medical complications can occur. (5)

Mannitol

Mannitol is a diuretic with anti-caking properties, so in addition to serving as a buffer, it also conserves cocaine’s powdered form, making it appear as if it’s unaltered. However, mannitol can cause health complications for those allergic to it or with a history of heart disease.

Phenacetin

Phenacetin is another cocaine adulterant, which was once commonly used as a painkiller but was removed from the drug market due to reports of adverse effects and complications. Most significantly, it has been proven to be a carcinogen, and exposure can result in a loss of consciousness, hypotension, heart failure, and death. (6)

Boric Acid

When combined with pure cocaine, boric acid serves as a dilutant and also increases the drug’s anesthetic effects. However, boric acid is also toxic and is sometimes used to make ant and rodent pesticides.

Fentanyl

In the last few years, dealers have commonly used fentanyl, a potent synthetic opioid, to increase the effects of cocaine. Fentanyl is between 50-100 times stronger than heroin, is inexpensive to produce, and a tiny amount can elicit potent effects. Unfortunately, fentanyl is also extremely deadly, even on its own, and has led to thousands of overdose deaths in the United States. It can be seamlessly combined with cocaine and other powdered drugs, making it virtually undetectable to a recreational user.