What Is A Snuff Bullet? What To Look For

Recognizing drug abuse is a continual challenge and a moving target, as the methods and means of substance use can change dramatically from substance to substance and from person to person.

Powder cocaine, commonly known as coke, is an illicit stimulant drug often used by nasal insufflation (snorting or sniffing). Some who sniff cocaine do so using snuff bullets, pocket-sized devices originally designed to hold and dispense measured amounts of snuff tobacco. These devices are extremely compact, easily hidden, and often don’t attract attention even when carried openly.

However, the presence of a snuff bullet should not be overlooked and may be a sign that serious and harmful substance abuse is occurring.

Recognizing Coke Bullets

Snuff bullets are generally bullet-shaped, as their name suggests. However, the exact size, shape, and construction of these devices can vary dramatically.

They may be made using aluminum or other metals, glass, plastic, or carbon fiber. Most are cylindrical with a tapered head and a dial or screw on one side, and are smaller than an adult’s thumb. However, it is also common for these devices to be made to resemble keychains, vapes, literal ammunition, or any number of other novelty forms with various internal mechanisms and even accessory kits used to pre-measure and load the device.

Other telltale characteristics to watch for include some way to unscrew and open the device for emptying or refilling, along with, in most cases, a twist-valve mechanism used to pick up and present or dispense a small amount of snuff or cocaine for snorting.

Of course, the most definitive sign that an object is a coke bullet is the presence of a white powder inside the device itself. Snuff, a type of smokeless tobacco, looks brown or tan with a texture not unlike fine sawdust. The presence of a fine white powder suggests that the device is being used for illicit drugs, usually cocaine with some possibility for ketamine, pulverized prescription medications, heroin, or other substances.

Are Snuff Bullets Legal?

Drug paraphernalia, defined by the U.S. Department of Justice as any equipment that is used to produce, conceal, and consume illicit drugs, is broadly outlawed in the United States, with legal penalties. However, snuff and other forms of smokeless tobacco are legally available to those 21 years old and older, which means that snuff bullets are also legal, as well as cheap and easily accessible.

In other words, snuff bullets are legal and only become criminal when they are used with cocaine or another illicit drug.

Understanding Cocaine Abuse

To understand the popularity of coke bullets and why they sometimes show up on college campuses, in nightclubs, or in the back of rideshares, it’s important to understand what kind of drug cocaine is and what cocaine abuse entails.

Cocaine, in any form, is a potent but relatively short-acting stimulant drug that accelerates mental and physical activity. It comes from a natural compound found in the leaves of the coca plant in South America and is harvested, extracted, refined, and purified for worldwide export through covert farms and toxic drug labs, usually in the form of a fine white powder.

Unlike methamphetamine, cocaine is often associated with luxury and nightlife. Its effects also don’t last very long, with the drug offering relatively brief, euphoric, and highly addictive bursts of energy when taken. This often leads to repeated dosing over a short period of time, or even prolonged cocaine binges that can last for hours or even days at a time.

Having a measured set of doses discreetly available through a coke bullet could make using the drug easier, especially in highly social or party situations.

Methods Of Cocaine Use And Specific Risks

Cocaine is most commonly taken in one of three different ways, each with its own health risks. Any use of cocaine comes with a risk of drug addiction.

Injecting Cocaine

Injecting cocaine powder involves dissolving the drug in water or alcohol, loading the liquid into a syringe, and injecting it into a vein. This provides the fastest and most intense rush of any form of cocaine use, though the effects wear off more quickly than with other methods of use, or in about five to 10 minutes. Crack cocaine is also sometimes liquefied using heat and injected for a similar effect.

Injection is generally considered the riskiest and most addictive form of cocaine use, and exposes a person to severe acute and chronic health hazards.

These include:

• abscesses
• skin infections
• HIV
• hepatitis
• endocarditis (a life-threatening infection of the heart valves)

Smoking Cocaine

Powder cocaine is not suitable for smoking, but it may be converted into crack cocaine “rocks” that are solid and range in color from clear to white or yellow. These rocks are usually freebased, or smoked in small glass crack pipes or over tinfoil, producing a very rapid and potent stimulant effect that lasts somewhat longer than injection, though not as long as with snorting.

Health risks associated with freebasing cocaine include:

• burns
• eye problems
• sore throat
• speaking issues
• chronic respiratory infections
• dental problems
• lung disease

Snorting Cocaine

Because powder cocaine dissolves so easily, it is often taken by snorting, especially by those who believe that snorting or sniffing cocaine is “safe” compared to smoking crack or injecting the drug. However, snorting cocaine remains a highly addictive and dangerous practice.

Compared to other methods of ingestion, snorting or sniffing produces slower, milder, but longer-lasting euphoric effects, often lasting between 15 and 30 minutes.

In the absence of a coke bullet, the drug may be divided on a mirror or some other non-stick surface into lines and then inhaled, often using a straw or rolled-up dollar bill. Or small amounts may be sprinkled on certain parts of the body and inhaled directly.

Snorting coke comes with health risks such as:

• chronic runny nose
• voice changes
• sinus infections
• chronic irritation
• loss of smell
• tissue death and the formation of open holes in the septum or upper palate

Short-Term Effects Of Cocaine Use

When cocaine enters the body it rapidly travels to the brain and binds to dopamine transporter proteins, blocking their function and dramatically increasing the amount of dopamine that is active in the brain. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure, thrill, and habit-formation, directly leading to cocaine’s famously euphoric and addictive effects.

Other short-term effects often associated with cocaine abuse include:

• increased talkativeness
• reduced inhibition
• racing thoughts
• reduced hunger and fatigue
• anxiety or paranoia
• hypersensitivity to light, sound, or touch
• blood vessel constriction
• pupil dilation (pupils appear larger than normal)
• muscle twitching
• elevated blood pressure, heart rate, breathing, and body temperature
• tremors
• vertigo

Cocaine can also sometimes trigger more serious negative effects including nausea and vomiting, erratic behavior, seizures, psychotic episodes, heart problems, and even sudden death. And these risks are increased greatly when cocaine is taken along with other drugs of abuse, including alcohol and opioids (speedball). A recent article published in the journal Cureus indicates increased heart health risks especially when mixing alcohol and cocaine.

Long-Term Risks Of Cocaine Use

The long-term use of cocaine can cause severe and progressive physical and mental problems, many of which can be irreversible.

These negative long-term effects of cocaine abuse include:

• cardiovascular damage from the drug’s stimulant effects and an increased risk of chest pain, blood clots, heart attack, stroke, pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis, tachycardia, arrhythmia, and other serious heart-related conditions
• recurrent seizures
• changes in personality, behavior, problem-solving, learning, and memory
• cerebral atrophy (brain shrinking)
• increased risk of developing various mental health disorders
• gastrointestinal issues including ulcers, ischemic colitis, and others
• liver damage or liver failure, especially in cases of combination alcohol and cocaine abuse
• kidney damage, including rhabdomyolysis (kidney damage related to other bodily tissue damage or death)
• reduced immune system functioning and increased risk of acquiring chronic diseases
• increased risk of serious dental issues
• premature aging

Treatment Options For Cocaine Abuse And Addiction

Unfortunately, many people underestimate just how habit-forming and addictive cocaine can be, especially when it comes to sniffing small doses with a coke bullet. But any form of cocaine use can develop into an addiction over time.

Fortunately, cocaine use disorders, no matter how severe, are treatable with the help of professional, evidence-based recovery programs like those available here at Spring Hill Recovery Center.

Our highly qualified staff provide expert inpatient care for cocaine abuse and addiction and all other forms of substance use disorder through personalized treatment programming.

Treatment options include:

• medical detoxification to safely manage acute cocaine withdrawal symptoms
• cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
• dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)
• other individual and group therapy sessions
• peer support groups
• medication management
• family therapy sessions
• mental health treatment
• art and recreational therapy
• nutritional counseling
• relapse prevention planning
• aftercare coordination

With a campus of over 70 acres of magnificent woodlands and services reserved for only 32 adult clients at a time, Spring Hill Recovery Center offers the perfect setting for a holistic, supportive, and individualized recovery process that meets your needs and helps you build a foundation for a lasting recovery. To learn more or explore treatment possibilities for yourself or a loved one, please contact our team today.