After marijuana and amphetamines, cocaine is considered to be the most widely available drug on high school and college campuses in the United States. Over 600,000 Americans are currently cocaine addicted. Given the smaller number of individuals who smoke the “rock” form of the drug, this makes it one of the most addictive forms of cocaine use in the country. Cocaine use by college students reached a ten-year high in 2006 when over 5% reported having used the drug during their time in school. The low during that period was 2.1% in 1996.

Up to 75% of people who try cocaine will become addicted to it. Only one out of four people who try to quit will be able to do so without help. Cocaine is the second most commonly used illicit drug in the U.S. More than 34 million Americans (14.7%) age 12 or older have used cocaine at least once in their lifetime. Over 15,000 deaths annually associated with stimulants in the US.

Each day 5,000 more people will experiment with cocaine. Cocaine addiction was responsible for 14 % of the 1.6 million admissions in 1999 to publicly funded drug addiction facilities. In 1988, about 300,000 infants were born addicted to cocaine.