Crack Cocaine

What is crack cocaine?

Crack cocaine is the crystal form of cocaine, which normally comes in a powder form. It comes in solid blocks or crystals varying in color from yellow to pale rose or white.

Crack is heated and smoked. It is so named because it makes a cracking or popping sound when heated. Crack, the most potent form in which cocaine appears, is also the riskiest. It is between 75% and 100% pure, far stronger and more potent than regular cocaine.

Crack cocaine is one of the most powerful illegal drugs when it comes to producing psychological dependence. It stimulates key pleasure centers within the brain and causes extremely heightened euphoria.

Smoking crack allows it to reach the brain more quickly and thus brings an intense and immediate, but short-lived high that lasts about 15 minutes. Addiction can develop more rapidly if a substance is smoked rather than snorted. Compulsive crack use develops soon after the person starts using because the substance is smoked and enters the blood stream rapidly. Some people develop a strong craving for crack after using it only a few times. A tolerance develops quickly – the person soon fails to achieve the same high experienced earlier from the same amount of crack cocaine.

Short-term effects of crack

• Disturbed sleep patterns
• Dilated pupils
• Nausea
• Intense euphoria
• Loss of appetite
• Increased heart rate, blood pressure & body temperature
• Contracted blood vessels
• Hyper stimulation
• Bizarre, erratic and sometimes violent behavior
• Hallucinations, hyper–excitability, irritable
• Tactile hallucination that creates an illusion of bugs burrowing under the skin
• Anxiety and paranoia
• Depression
• Intense drug craving
• Panic and psychosis
• Convulsions, seizures and sudden death from high doses

Long-term effects of crack

• Liver, kidney and lung damage
• Severe chest pains
• Respiratory failure
• Permanent damage to blood vessels of the ear and brain
• High blood pressure leading to heart attacks, strokes and death
• Infectious diseases and abscesses if injected
• Malnutrition or weight loss
• Severe tooth decay
• Auditory and tactile hallucinations
• Sexual problems, reproductive damage and infertility
• Disorientation, apathy, confused exhaustion
• Irritability and mood disturbances
• Increased frequency of risky behavior
• Delirium or psychosis
• Severe depression

Signs someone may be using crack

• Burns or blisters on the lips and fingers from hot pipes
• Short bursts of intense energy and talkativeness, followed by exhaustion
• Staying awake for long periods, then sleeping for very long stretches
• Paranoia, irritability or sudden aggression
• Weight loss and neglect of hygiene
• Money problems, missing possessions or secretive behaviour
• Glass pipes, burnt spoons, lighters or steel wool among their belongings

Crack withdrawal

When someone stops using crack, they often go through a “crash”: deep fatigue, low mood, anxiety, strong cravings and disturbed sleep. Crack withdrawal is not usually as physically dangerous as alcohol withdrawal, but the depression and cravings can be severe and are a common reason for relapse. Some people experience thoughts of self-harm. Medical and psychological support during this stage makes a real difference.

Street names for crack cocaine

Common street names
24-7 Apple jacks Badrock Ball Base Beat Candy Chemical Cloud Cookies Crack Crumbs	Crunch & munch Devil drug Dice Electric kool-aid Fat bags French fries Glo Gravel Grit Hail Hard ball Hard rock	Hotcakes Ice cube Jelly beans Kryptonite Nuggets Paste Piece Prime time Product Raw Rock(s) Rock star	Rox/Roxanne Scrabble Sleet Snow coke Sugar block Topo (Spanish) Tornado Troop