Personal Doses of Cocaine and Coca Paste are Adulterated in Cartagena de Indias (Colombia).

Jefferson Urzola-Ortega,Luis Mendoza-Goez,Diofanor Acevedo,Nirmal Kumar Sarkar

doi:10.1155/2021/5562315

Jefferson Urzola-Ortega, Luis Mendoza-Goez + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/5562315

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Journal: TheScientificWorldJournal	Publication Date: May 25, 2021
Citations: 2	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: University of Cartagena

Abstract

Knowledge of drug composition consumed on the streets and the identification and quantification of their adulterants is essential for understanding unexpected side effects, tracking routes, and drug profiling. Therefore, this work aimed to determine the purity and to identify and quantify the main adulterants found in personal doses of cocaine (perico) and coca paste (bazuco) in Cartagena de Indias (Colombia). The data collected in this study describe a first attempt to introduce the qualitative and quantitative analyses of adulterants present in street drugs in Cartagena de Indias to improve surveillance. Through gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS), the purity and adulterants were quantified in 45 personal doses of cocaine powder and coca paste. 100% of the personal doses in the city were adulterated; caffeine, phenacetin, and levamisole were the main adulterants identified in cocaine. Besides the above, lidocaine was also found in coca paste. The purity of cocaine varied from 8% to almost 70%, with caffeine ranging from 6% to 42%. In the case of coca paste, the maximum content of cocaine found was 60%, while some samples contained as little as 14%. The results are consistent with other research in terms of the widespread use of caffeine as an adulterant, but they also follow the growing trend of the use of levamisole and phenacetin. The wide range of cocaine content in samples sold in the illicit market could cause undesirable effects on cocaine users who do not know the exact intended dose for consumption; so, this study intends to make these results available not only to academic, public health, and national security agencies but also to tourists entering Cartagena de Indias, so that they are aware of what they are consuming and the risks to which they are exposed.

Highlights

Drug production and consumption are not problems that involve only developing countries, as today it is considered a global problem [1, 2]
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) predicted that the increased unemployment and lack of opportunities will make it more likely that poor and disadvantaged people will engage in harmful patterns of drug use, suffer from drug use disorders, and turn to illicit drug-related activities, whether that be production or transportation [3]
The objective of this study was to determine the purity and to identify and quantify the main adulterants found in personal doses of cocaine and coca paste in the city of Cartagena de Indias, one of the most touristic cities worldwide, reason for which, this study intends that the scientific community, state agencies, and the population, in general, can have access to this type of information of relevance to public health. is work shows the first results collected from donated drug samples in order to set the stage for further local mapping opportunities and to obtain an initial snapshot in comparison to what has been reported in other countries

Summary

Introduction

Drug production and consumption are not problems that involve only developing countries, as today it is considered a global problem [1, 2]. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in its World Drug Report 2020, drug use worldwide has been increasing, both in terms of overall numbers and the proportion of the world’s population that consumes drugs. Report in 2020, this United Nations office claimed that the greatest immediate impact on drug trafficking can be expected in countries where large quantities are smuggled on commercial airline flights. The UNODC predicted that the increased unemployment and lack of opportunities will make it more likely that poor and disadvantaged people will engage in harmful patterns of drug use, suffer from drug use disorders, and turn to illicit drug-related activities, whether that be production or transportation [3]

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