A new study on cocaine, the notorious white powder illegally snorted, injected or smoked by nearly 2 million Americans, details how it may permanently damage proteins in the body. That information, gleaned from laboratory tests, could be used to potentially detect the drug in biofluids for weeks or months — instead of days — after use, say scientists. The findings, which appear in the ACS journal Chemical Research in Toxicology, could also help explain cocaine’s long-term health effects.
