An example of cocaine tolerance in a gunshot wound fatality

A 29-year-old male received a fatal gunshot wound to the head during an altercation. Routine toxicological followup on the victim revealed a concentration of 30 mg/L of cocaine in the blood. The case history presented suggests that the concentration achieved by this individual was the result of a physiological tolerance developed from years of consistent recreational use and not by an intentional or accidental overdose.