When powdered cocaine flies up into the nose, it lands on the nasal mucosa, the red lining inside your nose. It’s red because the blood vessels are at the surface. Cocaine enters the bloodstream through these vessels, but it’s not very efficient; there isn’t much room available in there. Sometimes when a user snorts a line of cocaine, some of the powder never makes it into their system because there’s not enough space for it on the surface of the mucosa.
