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region, which puts the street value of cocaine consumed in the area at around
£84 million per year. (Italian river “full of cocaine,” 2005) Other cocaine
metabolites are produced such as ecgonine methyl ester (EME), ecgonine and
nor cocaine. The enzyme butyrlcholinesterase in the blood converts cocaine to
ecgonine methyl ester and benzoylecgonine, these are relatively inactive
metabolites. (Winger et al, 2004) Norcocaine is further metabolised to NHydroxynorcocaine and this may be responsible for cocaine’s toxicity of the
liver. (Drummer, 2001) Anhydroecgonine methyl ester (AEME) is only produced
when cocaine is smoked as it is not produced from metabolism but from
pyrolysis. This makes it a helpful and unique marker. (See Fig 1.3) Another
marker is cocaethylene which is only formed when the user is consuming both
cocaine and alcohol. Greater intoxication has been reported by users when
cocaine is combined with alcohol. This is thought to be due to cocaethylene
binding to dopamine receptors as well as the cocaine molecule; therefore
dopamine reuptake is further blocked leading to a greater build-up of dopamine
heightening the euphoric effects. (Wills, 2005)
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