Which drug is listed among the 'big four' substances with high harm, including risks of hospital admissions and overdose?

• A. Marijuana
• B. PCP
• C. Cocaine
• D. Oxycodone

Answer: (C)

High-harm drugs are those that frequently lead to serious medical emergencies and overdose, which puts a lot of strain on healthcare systems. Cocaine is a classic example because its effects can be sudden and severe: it sharply raises heart rate and blood pressure, can cause chest pain, heart attack, stroke, seizures, and other life-threatening problems. These acute events often require hospital treatment, and the risk of overdose is real, especially with impurities or using other substances together. This combination of high rates of emergency medical care and overdose risk is why cocaine is listed among the substances considered to have the greatest harm. In contrast, marijuana tends to have fewer acute hospitalizations and overdose cases, PCP can be dangerous but is less consistently identified as a top-harm drug in broad public-health assessments, and opioids like oxycodone carry overdose risks too, but the scenario described aligns most closely with cocaine's harm profile.