Cocaine Street Value, Effects & Risks of Cocaine Addiction

Cocaine street value depends on multiple factors. However, the financial cost is not the biggest loss a person with cocaine addiction faces. Read more about the different treatment options for you or your loved ones struggling with cocaine addiction.


Cocaine Street Value, Effects & Risks of Cocaine Addiction

According to the latest edition of the United Nations World Drug Report, 284 million people used illicit drugs in the last year, while around 21 million individuals used cocaine. Cocaine is among the most expensive illegal drugs sold on the street. The use of the drug has risen in the past decade, according to the report, but slowed somewhat in the Covid-19 pandemic.

With global cocaine production reaching new highs, which is driving prices down and pushing quality up, potentially increasing the level of harm caused by use of the drug. Like other illicit drugs, cocaine is sold on the street. Like other illicit drugs, cocaine is sold on the street. The street value of cocaine depends on multiple factors.

The cost of cocaine varies greatly across the United States. There are many reasons for variation in cocaine cost between states including the purity of the drug, the socioeconomic status of the area, the popularity of the substance, its purity, and the presence of crime. The most common street price for a gram of cocaine in the US is around $120.

This can vary drastically by state, how close to cocaine manufacturers it is bought, and how close to heavily populated urban areas it is bought. Some areas report that cocaine can cost as much as $200 per gram. As with all substance abuse, the cost of supporting addiction always outweighs that of receiving treatment. No matter its retail price, cocaine poses severe health risks, including addiction and overdose.

Cocaine addiction can be incredibly expensive. For example, a person with a severe cocaine addiction can spend $170,000 per year on buying the drug. This can lead to heavy financial losses and crippling debt. The financial cost is not the biggest loss a person with cocaine addiction faces.

As with all forms of substance use disorder, cocaine addiction greatly impacts health (both mental and physical, relationships, family, work, education, and just about all areas of life. Once a person has developed a dependence on cocaine, they will often find their lives spiraling out of control and may find it hard to recognize and hold onto the important parts of themselves outside of their addiction. 

What is the Street Value of Cocaine?

Most drug dealers sell cocaine by the gram. One gram contains about 25 “hits” of cocaine. In the United States, a gram of cocaine usually costs between $25 and $200. The exact price depends on the type of cocaine, location, and purity level.

Type of Cocaine

There are two types of cocaine sold on the illicit drug market: powder cocaine and crack cocaine. Powder cocaine (also called cocaine hydrochloride) is a white powder that can be snorted or injected.

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), powder cocaine costs about $93 per gram and $28,000 per kilogram. What is the street value of 1 kilo of cocaine? One kilogram (or kilo) equals about 1,000 grams.

Crack cocaine is a shiny, rock-like substance that can be smoked in a glass pipe. It’s made by mixing powder cocaine with water and baking soda. Its effects start and end more quickly than the effects of powder cocaine. The average price of crack cocaine is about $60 per gram.

Purity of the Drug

What is the street value of a kilo of cocaine? Cocaine often contains a variety of additives. The more additives a drug contains, the less pure it is. 

Many drug dealers use additives to increase the weight of a drug so they can charge more than it’s worth. These dealers add substances that resemble powder cocaine, such as:

  • laundry detergent 
  • meat tenderizer
  • laxatives
  • Levamisole, a cattle dewormer that can cause fatal infections in humans

Other dealers use psychoactive additives to enhance the buyer’s high. They often don’t tell the buyer they’ve added these substances, which may include:

  • caffeine
  • heroin
  • fentanyl, an opioid responsible for numerous overdose deaths 

In general, pure cocaine has a higher street value than cocaine with additives. 

Availability of the Drug

What is the street value of a kilo of cocaine? Illicit drug production and distribution is an illegal activity that costs the government billions of dollars per year in trying to control it. Increased law presence tends to force drug manufacturers to limit their production, making the sale of substances like cocaine riskier and therefore higher. 

Location 

As with availability, where drugs are produced dictates their price. Cocaine tends to be produced in South America as that is where the materials for making it originate. It is then trafficked into North America, most commonly through Mexico. This means states in this area tend to have more access to the substance. The same is also true of larger cities, where crime rates and drug dealing tend to be higher, making the substance more readily obtainable.

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Cocaine Addiction Statistics

Among people aged 12 or older, 1.9% (or about 5.2 million people) reported using cocaine in 2020. Among people aged 12 or older, 0.5% (or about 1.3 million people) had a cocaine use disorder in 2020. In 2020, approximately 19,447 people died from an overdose involving cocaine.


5.2 million

Among people aged 12 or older, 1.9% (or about 5.2 million people) reported using cocaine in 2020.

Source: NIH

1.3 million

Among people aged 12 or older, 0.5% (or about 1.3 million people) had a cocaine use disorder in 2020.

Source: NIH

19,447

In 2020, approximately 19,447 people died from an overdose involving cocaine.

Source: NIH


Cocaine Drug Facts Sheet

Cocaine

Cocaine is a stimulant drug obtained from the leaves of two Coca species native to South America, Erythroxylum coca and Erythroxylum novogranatense.


Common Street Names for Cocaine

Cocaine base (smokable): Base, black rock, crack, electric kool-aid, rock, gravel, purple caps, Scotty, scramble, supercoke, twinkie, window pane, yam

Cocaine HCl: Aspirin, Big C, blow, coconut, coke, devil’s dandruff, flake, Florida snow, foo-foo dust, happy dust, lady, nose candy, white dragon, white lady, yao

Cocaine paste: Basuco, bazooka, pasta

Cocaine + heroin: Belushi, bipping, blanco, boy-girl, dynamite, goof ball, he-she, murder one, sandwich, snowball, speedball

Cocaine + marijuana: 51, banano, bazooka, blunt, C & M, candy sticks, caviar, champagne, cocktail, cocoa puff, crack bash, dirties, geek-joint, Greek, lace, P-dogs, premos, primo, Sherman stick, woo blunts, woolie

Cocaine + MDMA (ecstasy): Bumping up

Cocaine + MDMA + LSD: Candy flipping on a string

Cocaine + morphine: C & M

Cocaine + heroin + methamphetamine + flunitrazepam + alcohol: Five-way

Cocaine Short Term Effects of Cocaine

  • Extreme happiness and energy
  • Mental alertness
  • Hypersensitivity to sight, sound, and touch
  • Irritability
  • Paranoia—extreme and unreasonable distrust of others

Long-Term Effects of Cocaine

Some long-term health effects of cocaine depend on the method of use and include the following:

  • snorting: loss of smell, nosebleeds, frequent runny nose, and problems with swallowing
  • smoking: cough, asthma, respiratory distress, and higher risk of infections like pneumonia
  • consuming by mouth: severe bowel decay from reduced blood flow
  • needle injection: higher risk for contracting HIV, hepatitis C, and other bloodborne diseases, skin or soft tissue infections, as well as scarring or collapsed veins

Cocaine Use Statistics

Cocaine is a highly addictive illegal drug used by 14-21 million people worldwide. In 2018 there are 874,000 new cocaine users. Users can be from all economic statuses, all ages, and all genders. Since cocaine is combined or ‘cut’ with other chemicals, people have no idea if the dose will be weak or strong.

Cocaine was once seen as the illicit substance of choice for the wealthy owing to its high cocaine street value.
Cocaine was once seen as the illicit substance of choice for the wealthy owing to its high cocaine street value.

Whats the Street Value of a Kilo of Cocaine?

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime puts the street value of 1 kilo of cocaine in the US at $28,000, though other estimates suggest it is as high as $70,000. As with the price of a gram of cocaine, the cost of a kilo changes depending on the area it is bought in, even within the same state.

Crack Cocaine Street Value

Cocaine comes in two primary forms: powder and crack. People make crack cocaine by cooking powder cocaine with water and baking soda, which creates a solid. They then break the solid form into small, smokeable rocks. When crack cocaine first emerged in the 1980s, it was typically cheaper than powder cocaine. Today, however, it costs about the same as powder cocaine. Still, wealthier people tend to favor powder cocaine, while poorer people use more crack cocaine. 

8-Ball of Cocaine Street Value

An 8-ball of cocaine, or other drugs such as meth, is a weight measurement of the substance that is equal to 3.5 grams, or an 8th of an ounce. How much does an ounce of cocaine cost? Most reports suggest that an 8-ball of cocaine will cost between $120 and $300.

Selling drugs such as cocaine, crack, and heroin in 8-ball weights has been popular since the 1970s as many drug users will prefer to have larger quantities of the drug and most dealers will offer a special price for 8-balls. How many grams are there in 1 ounce of cocaine? You realize that the ratio of grams to ounces doesn’t change just because you’re measuring drugs, right? 1 ounce = 28.35 grams.

What’s an Eight Ball of Coke Earliest Reference From?

The phrase “8 ball of coke” was first seen in print in the middle of the ’80s, but was likely used by users and dealers for years before the authorities caught up. The first public mention of the phrase “8 ball of coke” was in the newspaper The Post-Crescent in 1985. “Cuthbert allegedly sold “an eight ball of cocaine” to an undercover agent for $350.” Here, coke is another slang name for cocaine.

What’s an 8 Ball Drugs in Pop Culture?

The phrase is frequently used when purchasing cocaine and other bagged drugs from a dealer and is favored because of discretion and convenience. Pop culture soon adopted the phrase, and rappers such as Afroman and Snoop Dogg have repeatedly mentioned it in their music.

You Pay a High Price For an 8 Ball of Coke

An 8 ball coke will surely cost you cash, but it can also cost you in other ways as well. A budding addiction to 8 ball of cocaine, can cost you your family, your health, your job, and even your own life. The influence coke has on a person’s life can be destructive. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) [2], cocaine ranks near the top of the most dangerous drugs, which cause overdoses and deaths. Every year thousands of people die from a cocaine overdose.

In addition, more and more individuals become addicted to cocaine every year. Some users try to get help with their struggle with cocaine addiction, only to stumble back into using again. This is because cocaine is a hard drug to quit, but certainly, it can be done. If you are facing a cocaine addiction, now is a good time to get help and take control of this dangerous drug.

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Cocaine Street Value vs Cocaine Overdose

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) [4], in 2018, more than 14,600 people died of a cocaine-related overdose in the United States. The rate of these deaths has been rising since 2013. During a cocaine overdose, the brain and body become dangerously overstimulated, resulting in an increased heart rate, and may lead to lethal levels.

Cocaine is particularly dangerous to use with alcohol, as the combination produces a powerful toxin in the body called cocaethylene. Cocaethylene is eliminated even slower from the body than cocaine and can intensify the cardiotoxic effects, for example, by further increasing the heart rate and enhancing the concentration of cocaine in the bloodstream. Cocaine addiction is difficult to recover from, but it can be treated.

Symptoms of Cocaine Overdose

Mild symptoms include:

  • Extreme anxiety or agitation
  • High blood pressure
  • High temperature and sweating
  • Hallucinations

Severe symptoms include:

  • Heart attack
  • Irregular heart rhythm
  • Stroke
  • Seizures
  • Trouble breathing

Cocaine Street Value vs Cocaine Withdrawal

A person addicted to cocaine who has developed a physical and psychological dependence on it may experience cocaine withdrawal symptoms when quitting. During withdrawal, the former user will often experience many uncomfortable symptoms, such as paranoia, depression, fatigue, mood swings, anxiety, restlessness, agitation, or vivid, unpleasant dreams. The psychological and physical symptoms of withdrawal will vary depending on many individual factors, such as the user’s tolerance, metabolism, length of addiction, severity of addiction, and the presence of underlying mental health conditions or other addictions.

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Street Value of Cocaine & How It Is Made

Different methods are used to make cocaine. In one method, dried coca leaves (the main ingredient in cocaine) are soaked with lime water or other alkaline liquids and then extracted with gasoline in metal drums. Workers use sulfuric acid to extract the dissolved cocaine and form a liquid solution to which lime or other alkaline liquids is added, leading to the precipitation of coca paste. Workers then add acid and potassium to remove impurities, followed by bicarbonate, to cause the base to separate. The base is further dissolved in a solvent like acetone and then soaked again in acid. Finally, the cocaine paste is filtered through a cloth to separate, then dried.


Alternately, the base can be dissolved in a solvent, such as acetone, ether, or ethyl acetate, and heated in a bath of hot water. Methyl ethyl ketone is another solvent that workers add to the hot liquid mixture, along with hydrochloric acid, leading to cocaine hydrochloride crystallizing in the solution. Solvents are pressed out by hand, followed by a hydraulic press, then the mixture is heated in a microwave to create cocaine powder.

Powdered cocaine can be further processed into crack by first mixing it into a solution of either ammonia or a combination of baking soda and water, then heating that mixture to create a substance that forms rocks for smoking. Alternately, an alkali substance can be mixed into a heated liquid cocaine solution that then settles to the bottom of as a solid. Some adulterants, or cutting agents, can be filtered out through the creation of crack cocaine.

In recent years the price of cocaine has dropped in certain areas, making it more popular and readily available.
How much is an ounce of cocaine? In recent years the street value for cocaine has dropped in certain areas, making it more popular and readily available.

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Cocaine is a highly addictive illegal drug used by 14-21 million people worldwide.
How much is an ounce of cocaine? An ounce of cocaine price is very expensive and highly addictive illegal drug used by 14-21 million people worldwide.

What Does Cocaine Look Like?

Whether it comes in a powder or rock form, cocaine tends to be an off-white to pinkish or beige color. Cocaine is derived from the coca plant, native to South America. The coca plant has to be processed to extract the cocaine from the plant. Usually, solvents or acids are used to remove the cocaine hydrochloride from the leaves.

Cocaine hydrochloride tends to be in varying shades of white, but this color can still be different than the cocaine that is sold on the streets. Many drug dealers add cutting agents to cocaine to increase profit or make cocaine seem more potent than other types of cocaine. This added substance can change the color of cocaine. Talcum powder or baby laxatives will make cocaine look white. Other substances, such as powdered caffeine or procaine, can change the hue of the drug significantly and make cocaine look less white.

Cocaine Street Value vs Cocaine Addiction

Before cocaine addiction develops, users generally develop a physical dependency on the drug at the outset. The brain becomes physically dependent on the drugs within a short period after first starting crack. Once physical dependency sets in, users begin to experience cocaine withdrawal effects. With continued drug use, cocaine withdrawal symptoms worsen and happen more frequently.

Users will experience some cocaine withdrawal symptoms as soon as the initial high is gone. It is for this reason that cocaine addiction is considered high-risk. The cocaine user will need to use it again to overcome the “let down” of cocaine withdrawal after a “high”. As with most highly addictive substances, tolerance is built up with each use, and more is needed to achieve the same euphoric state that the user desires.

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-V), a few criteria that may indicate a generalized crack use disorder (cocaine addiction) include:

  • Taking crack in more significant amounts or over a more extended period than intended
  • Craving, withdrawal, and tolerance
  • Persistent desire or unsuccessful efforts to decrease or control crack use
  • Continued crack cocaine use despite social or interpersonal problems associated with its use
  • A great deal of time is spent in activities necessary to obtain, use, or recover from the crack effects
  • Recurrent cocaine use that results in problems at work, school, or home

If users meet two or more of these criteria, they likely have a crack use disorder and should seek the proper help from a professional.

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Cocaine Addiction Treatment

First and foremost, if you think a loved one is abusing cocaine, you should research the substances and their associated addiction to understand better what your loved one needs.  Next, you must plan an intervention to provide your loved ones with options to battle the effects of cocaine addiction in a safe and supportive environment. During this intervention, offer compassion and support instead of judgment. Lastly, show your support throughout the entire treatment process.

In addition, prolonged drug use can have severe physical and psychological effects on you, so it is essential to seek treatment as soon as possible. Inpatient drug rehab offers intensive care that can help you promptly get through the early stages of cocaine withdrawal

Cocaine Detox

Medical detox is often considered the first stage of treatment. It will help you navigate the complicated cocaine detox withdrawal but doesn’t address patterns of thought and behavior contributing to drug use. Various treatment approaches and settings can help provide the ongoing support necessary to maintain long-term sobriety after you complete the cocaine detox.

Cravings are very common during drug detox and can be challenging to overcome. This often leads to relapse. Constant medical care provided during inpatient treatment helps prevent relapse. Clinicians can give medication and medical expertise to lessen cravings and withdrawal symptoms.

Inpatient Cocaine Addiction Rehab

There isn’t one treatment approach or style that will suit everyone. Treatment should speak to the needs of the individual. Inpatient rehab and addiction treatment aren’t just about drug use. the goal is to help the patient stop using cocaine and other substances, but drug rehab should also focus on the whole person’s needs.

Addiction is a complex but treatable disease that affects brain function and behavior. When someone or their family is considering different treatment facilities, they should account for the complexity of addiction and the needs of the individual. The objective of attending an inpatient rehab center for addiction treatment is to stop using the drug and re-learn how to live a productive life without it.

Following a full medical detox, most people benefit from inpatient rehab. Inpatient drug rehab can last anywhere from 28 days to several months. Patients stay overnight in the rehab facility and participate in intensive treatment programs and therapy. Once someone completes rehab, their addiction treatment team will create an aftercare plan, which may include continuing therapy and participation in a 12-step program like Narcotics Anonymous.

Psychotherapy 

Many rehab programs will also have early morning classes or programs. Group sessions occur during inpatient rehab, as do individual therapy sessions. Family therapy may be part of inpatient rehab when it’s feasible. Alternative forms of therapy may be introduced during inpatient rehab, like a holistic therapy program, yoga for addiction recovery, or an addiction treatment massage therapy.

Several different modalities of psychotherapy have been used in the treatment of mental health disorders along with addiction, including:

  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – is an effective treatment that involves changing both the patterns of negative thoughts and the behavioral routines which are affecting the daily life of the depressed person for various forms of depression.
  • Dialectical Behavioral Therapy – is a comprehensive mental health and substance abuse treatment program whose ultimate goal is to aid patients in their efforts to build a life worth living. The main goal of DBT is to help a person develop what is referred to as a “clear mind.” 
  • Solution-focused therapy is an approach interested in solutions that can be quickly implemented with a simple first step leading to further positive consequences.

Dual Diagnosis Treatment

Drug abuse and mental health disorders often co-occur. Traumatic experiences can often result in mental health disorders and substance abuse. Dual-diagnosis rehabilitation treats both of these issues together. The best approach for the treatment of dual diagnosis is an integrated system. This strategy treats both the substance abuse problem and the mental disorder simultaneously. Regardless of which diagnosis (mental health or substance abuse problem) came first, long-term recovery will depend mainly on the treatment for both diseases done by the same team or provider.

Please, do not try to detox on your own. The detox process can be painful and difficult without medical assistance. However, getting through the detox process is crucial for continued treatment. We Level Up provide proper care with round-the-clock medical staff to assist your recovery through our opioid addiction treatment program medically. So, reclaim your life, and call us to speak with one of our treatment specialists. Our counselors know what you are going through and will answer any of your questions.

Cocaine Rehab Near Me

Cocaine addiction is a condition that can cause major health problems, such as an overdose. We Level Up NJ rehab treatment & detox center can provide you, or someone you love, the tools to recover from this with professional and safe treatment. Feel free to call us to speak with one of our counselors. We can inform you about this condition and clarify issues like withdrawal symptoms. Our specialists know what you are going through. Please know that each call is private and confidential.

There is help available — formal addiction treatment centers provide hope to those struggling with cocaine addiction.
There is help available — formal addiction treatment centers provide hope to those struggling with cocaine addiction.
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