ABSTRACT
Cocaine is a stimulant that temporarily blocks the brain's ability to reabsorb the transmitters once they are released. Some of the costs of cocaine consumption might be lessened if cocaine were legalized, while other costs would likely be worsened. The practical consequences of addiction, also called dependence and abuse, can be severe. Users who are not dependent might not suffer from the problems and in fact may experience increased productivity through cocaine's stimulative effects. Frequent cocaine consumption taxes the body's dopamine production capabilities, eventually to the point where the body can no longer maintain the production of the neurotransmitters. The costs associated with the crimes of dealing and consuming cocaine are probably not trivial. The crimes of buying and selling drugs have led to an explosion in the number of arrests and convictions for the offenses.
