Advice

Cocaine is white powder that is snorted through a straw or rolled-up note in the nose. But what does cocaine do to your body? And how does it come from? Get clued-up...

What is it?

Coke is a white powder that comes from the Coca plant.

It is usually snorted (inhaled through the nose with a straw). It can be injected or swallowed.

It can be made into a smokeable drug - known as crack .

How does it make you feel?

Coke makes you feel exhilarated, confident, excited and speedy.

The buzz lasts for up to an hour. There is an immediate comedown when you might feel you want more.

What are the health effects?

Because the buzz is so short it can be tempting to put off the comedown by taking more and more. This makes it really addictive. You can develop a tolerance to coke over one night. By the end of the night you'll need more of it to get the same effect that you got when you started.

Snorting coke can damage your nose. Long term it can give you serious heart and breathing problems. It can also make you feel depressed, anxious and paranoid.

The law

Cocaine is an illegal class A drug. The maximum penalty for possession is 14 years in prison. For supply it's life in prison. You can get an unlimited fine for both.