Cocaine or benzoylmethyl echogine is the product of the coca plant, native to South America. The method in which cocaine is used is by smoking crack, snorting it, or by injection. The difference between crack and cocaine would be the composition. Crack cocaine is powdered cocaine mixed with a weak base (baking soda) and the application of heat, which then turns it into a solid. Furthermore, crack has a lower melting point than cocaine, which is why it can also be smoked. Depending on the dosage, only a short delay is needed for the effects to begin. The individual begins to experience euphoria, because the stimulant has now traveled to the ventral tegmentum region of the brain. This is where neurons are found, i.e. "cells that have the property of transmitting and receiving nerve impulses". - Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. As a result, cocaine affects the levels of dopamine present. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that works in collaboration with neurons. It is altered because the neurons are expected to be reabsorbed by a dopamine transporter, which allows the secretion or recovery of dopamine. Specifically, there needs to be a chemical balance, hence why a person cannot feel a certain way for an extended period of time. time. The activities that are emerging are the result of the limbic system, “the primary site of cocaine's effects,” where “dopamine-sensitive cells are highly concentrated (Nestler, 6).” Cocaine attaches to the dopamine transporter and does not allow the neurons to return. A buildup soon follows, allowing the receptors to be artificially stimulated at a higher rate than the body could produce naturally. The problem becomes more prevalent when dopamine levels return to normal, which creates even more de...... middle of paper ......need for cocaine. A similar study was conducted by a different group of researchers in which a monkey “pressed a button 12,000 times to receive a single dose of cocaine (Kiyatkin, 775).” The severity of cocaine use is now better understood through experimentation than previously thought. The science is written in pencil and, as new information becomes available, the true extent of cocaine use is not truly known. This epidemic was therefore held in the highest regard at the state and federal levels. Both are emphasizing the need for individuals to avoid these deadly substances, spending $524 billion a year on community programs and initiatives. The brain is one of, if not the most complicated organs and therefore should be treated with the utmost respect. As Thomas Edison once observed: “The chief function of the body is to carry the brain around.”