Cocaine

Snorting 2: The nasal membranes

To snort cocaine, coke users usually strew a thin ‘line’ of powder cocaïne onto a hard, flat horizontal surface like a mirror. They then close off one of their nostrils and sniff up the cocaïne into the other nostril through a thin tube or drinking straw moved along the line.

If the straw has already been used by someone else, there is a risk of getting infected with hepatitis.

When snorted, the cocaine powder lands on the mucous membranes inside the nose. The powder dissolves there, and the cocaine molecules come into contact with the capillaries in the nasal membranes. The molecules can easily penetrate the capillary walls. Ultimately about 60 percent of the cocaine enters the bloodstream.

The remaining cocaine molecules, along with any adulterants or dilutants that fail to dissolve, are carried off down the oesophagus to the stomach.