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CRACK
CRACK THE
FACTS
Crack is the street name for crystallized
freebase cocaine that has been processed from the
powdered cocaine hydrochloride form to a smakable
substance. It is a powerful central nervous system
stimulant, sold in ready to smoke chunks or ‘rocks’.
Crack looks like small lumps or shavings of soap,
but has the texture of porcelain. Because of the way
it looks, crack is often referred to as ‘rock’
or ‘ready-rock’. The rocks are nicknamed ‘Crack’
because of the crackling sound they make as they are
smoked. It is generally more pure than the powdered
cocaine from which it is made, but this smokable
product can still contain impurities. Crack is five
to six times stronger than the cocaine normally
purchased on the street. Crack cocaine is processed
with ammonia or sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and
water, and heated to remove the hydrochloride.
Crack is a highly addictive form of cocaine that
is typically smoked , there are reports of users
injecting crack . Because crack is smoked, the user
experiences a high in less than 10 seconds. This
rather immediate and euphoric effect is one of the
reasons that crack became enormously popular in the
mid 1980s. Another reason is that crack is
inexpensive both to produce and to buy.
Smoking crack delivers large quantities of the
drug to the lungs, producing effects comparable to
intravenous injection. These effects are felt almost
immediately after smoking, are very intense, but do
not last long. For
example, the high from smoking cocaine may last from
5 to 10 minutes, while the high from snorting the
drug can last for 15 to 20 minutes.
HOW IT IS USED
The most popular method is to smoke the lumps of
crack in a two-chambered water pipe. Pipes have been
made of various common items including soft drink
cans. Sometimes crack is smoked by sprinkling it on
tobacco or marijuana. Crack can also be mixed with
PCP. This method is called ‘spacebasing’ or ‘spaceblasting’.
Crack is being mass marketed on the streets in small
vials, folding papers, or foil packets and usually
contains one to four pellets for an average of $10 -
$20.
EFFECTS
A person may become physically and
psychologically dependent on crack without realizing
it. Some people lose control over their use almost
from the start. Studies have shown that crack is one
of the most powerful of all illicit drugs in
producing a psychological dependency. There is no
physical withdrawal from Crack or Cocaine as there
is with other drugs such as heroin. The withdrawal
symptoms are more of a psychological nature rather
than physical including an intense hunger,
irritability, fatigue, long but disturbed sleep, and
depression.
Crack produces the same type effects as other
forms of cocaine. Since crack is absorbed into your
system very quickly, reaching the brain within six
seconds, it produces an intense ‘rush’ or sense
of euphoria with feelings of increased energy and
heightened senses such as sight, sound, smell, etc.
The euphoria usually wears off in about 10 minutes,
followed by a ‘crash’, marked by feelings of
anxiety, confusion, and often depression. Because of
its potency and short-lived high, crack is extremely
addictive. Low doses of crack may create a
perception of enhanced feelings of sexuality,
particularly in male users. Crack increases motor
activity of users and reduces the perceived need for
food and sleep. Users have reported having ‘coke
bugs’, a feeling of having insects crawling on
them. Other effects include bizarre and violent
behavior, extreme anxiety and restlessness, spasms,
delusions, alertness and watchfulness, disinhibition,
impaired judgment, feelings of grandiosity,
impulsiveness, compulsively repeated acts,
hyper-sexuality, and atypical sexual behavior.
Physical effects can include hypertension, seizures,
respiratory problems, and heart failure. Chronic
users may experience loss of appetite, weight loss,
rapid tooth decay, difficulty urinating, severe
coughing, and lung damage because it is smoked.
Repeated, heavy use of the drug eventually decreases
sexuality, often leading to total abstinence from
sex. Impotence in males may also occur.
Street Names
Crack, Rock, Freebase
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