At the turn of the century, cocaine was a common ingredient as a tonic in patent medicines. Sigmund Freud probably produced the first modern cocaine addict when he tried it as a treatment for a patient addicted to morphine. His suggestion that it might be useful in treating depression and alcoholism was no more successful. The only accepted medical use today is as a local anesthetic, but only for surface anesthesia in ear, nose, and throat surgery. It is of special concern because it is a very toxic drug that many users erroneously assume is safe and non-addicting.
Cocaine is usually available as cocaine hydrochloride salt, a white powder.
It is either snorted directly into the nose or dissolved in water and injected, which causes a more rapid and intense high. Freebase is cocaine base with the hydrochloride removed. It is prepared by heating a cocaine hydrochloride and alkaline solution with organic solvents. The danger in preparing freebase is that the solvents are very flammable and explosions can result. Crack is made by heating cocaine hydrochloride with baking soda.