# If stored does packaged cocaine go bad over time? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 2, 2016, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-stored-does-packaged-cocaine-go-bad-over-time/770418 "2016-11-02T02:49:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2016, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-stored-does-packaged-cocaine-go-bad-over-time/770418/1 "2016-11-02T02:49:39Z")
I saw [this article](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/airplane-recycling-salvage_us_57ee73abe4b082aad9bacbdb?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link&ICID=ref_fark) about a stash of cocaine found in a mothballed airplane and wondered how long it would retain it’s potency over time. It’s an organic substance so I’m guessing it might be subject to some degradation. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2016, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-stored-does-packaged-cocaine-go-bad-over-time/770418/2 "2016-11-02T03:36:07Z")
I’d guess the same … just wanted to add that it would be the cut that goes bad first … ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2016, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-stored-does-packaged-cocaine-go-bad-over-time/770418/3 "2016-11-02T04:16:01Z")
The hard part is keeping Pam from eating it all. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2016, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-stored-does-packaged-cocaine-go-bad-over-time/770418/4 "2016-11-02T05:48:14Z")
Not totally answering the OP’s question, but this reminds me of something that occured a few years ago. A friend of mine was prosecuting some drug dealer or the other and at trial time came for evidence to be presented. One of the bags of cocaine was dropped and burst, causing a powder cloud which settled on the judge, both counsels and one of the ushers. My friend was taken to the hospital and kept overnight. He was fine, but annoyed that they took and incinerated all his clothes. ---
**Author:** ![janeslogin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@janeslogin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janeslogin)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2016, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-stored-does-packaged-cocaine-go-bad-over-time/770418/5 "2016-11-02T21:19:29Z")
Do real chemists, IUPAC types, have a standardized measure of shelf life for chemicals sort of like half life for radioactive stuff perhaps? ---
**Author:** ![TSBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@TSBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TSBG)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2016, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-stored-does-packaged-cocaine-go-bad-over-time/770418/6 "2016-11-02T23:27:01Z")
There is such a thing as pharmaceutical cocaine, and I believe someone calculates a half-life or shelf-life for medications. This is why there’s an expiration date–not because the medicine goes bad, but because it becomes less effective. The cocaine on a plane you would expect to be relatively pure because it’s less weight to carry, but I’m no expert on how much cocaine gets stepped on and with what. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2016, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-stored-does-packaged-cocaine-go-bad-over-time/770418/7 "2016-11-04T14:04:33Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Not totally answering the OP’s question, but this reminds me of something that occured a few years ago. A friend of mine was prosecuting some drug dealer or the other and at trial time came for evidence to be presented. One of the bags of cocaine was dropped and burst, causing a powder cloud which settled on the judge, both counsels and one of the ushers. > > My friend was taken to the hospital and kept overnight. He was fine, but annoyed that they took and incinerated all his clothes. Was the cocaine laced with anthrax? Not sure why you have to incinerate clothes that might’ve gotten a bit of cocaine on them. Did the others all have to turn over their clothing for incineration? ---
**Author:** ![spifflog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@spifflog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spifflog)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2016, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-stored-does-packaged-cocaine-go-bad-over-time/770418/8 "2016-11-04T14:19:48Z")
Need answer fast?? ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2016, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-stored-does-packaged-cocaine-go-bad-over-time/770418/9 "2016-11-04T15:22:16Z")
There was a [slew of paraphernalia advertised](http://www.theworldsbestever.com/2015/09/13/back-in-the-day-when-they-used-to-market-cocaine/) to keep cocaine’s potency up via humidity and climate control. How much of that was legitimate science and how much just advertising I couldn’t tell you. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2016, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-stored-does-packaged-cocaine-go-bad-over-time/770418/10 "2016-11-04T16:35:34Z")
There are a few possible mechanisms for degradation. I don’t know if any apply here. It can just degrade on its own, say via a pericyclic rearrangement that changes its structure to something with different pharmacological activity. You might expect this with a molecule that is essentially metastable. The reaction can be accelerated by a catalyst or heat. UV or visible light may be sufficiently energetic push electrons around and trigger a reaction. The molecule may react with water, oxygen, carbon dioxide, ozone, NOx, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2016, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-stored-does-packaged-cocaine-go-bad-over-time/770418/11 "2016-11-04T16:38:38Z")
It looks like cocaine is susceptible to hydrolysis, less so when sufficiently acidified. Granted that’s in aqueous solution. > **[Stability of cocaine hydrochloride solutions at various pH values as...](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0378517382900758)** > > A stability-indicating assay method based on high-pressure liquid chromatography for the quantitation of cocaine hydrochloride has been developed. The… ---
**Author:** ![bardos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bardos/32/1069_2.png) [@bardos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bardos)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2016, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-stored-does-packaged-cocaine-go-bad-over-time/770418/12 "2016-11-04T18:36:17Z")
reminds me of “Lost” and the heroin in the airplane ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2016, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-stored-does-packaged-cocaine-go-bad-over-time/770418/13 "2016-11-04T20:32:43Z")
> [@](#): > > If stored does packaged cocaine go bad over time? “Need answer fast”? 😃 😛 ---
**Author:** ![excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e8c25b/32.png) [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/excavating_for_a_mind)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2016, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-stored-does-packaged-cocaine-go-bad-over-time/770418/14 "2016-11-04T21:00:52Z")
> [@spifflog](#): > > Need answer fast?? Well, it depends on the answer…