There is a pattern to how the media deal with public issues like this one. Back in the 1980s it was the “crack” mania, with all sorts of exaggerated hype about “crack babies” and similar stories. Meth and Crack: Same Myth, Different Year Here we go again. About 867,000 people in the United States battled cocaine addiction in 2016. Cocaine use also increases the potential for having a heart attack, stroke, or damage to the cardiovascular system, the American Heart Association explains.Ĭocaine is also addictive. Almost 20,000 Americans died from a cocaine overdose in 2017, per NIDA. A cocaine overdose is indicated by high blood pressure, irregular heart rate, breathing issues, elevated body temperature, tremors, hallucinations, anxiety, seizures, and extreme agitation. Cocaine use has many possible negative consequences, including the odds for a potentially fatal overdose.
