Cocaine: an overview of current issues.

A period of ascendancy of cocaine use has had implications in matters of science, public health, and national and international politics and has been the subject of numerous reviews. The present paper provides a critical overview concerning use and prevalence, and addresses a range of current issues of interest. Patterns of use, dose, tolerance, sensitization, routes of administration, and hazards of use are considered based on laboratory, epidemiological, and clinical data. Aspects of treatment are discussed. The need for developing a model of drug abuse recognizing pharmacological-neurochemical-behavioral-environmental interactions is noted. Suggestions are made concerning future directions of policy and research. The need to develop scientific goals and public policy vis-à-vis cocaine, and other stimulants, based on a historical perspective as well as current concerns is emphasized.