It can be rubbed on mucous membranes or combined with tobacco or cannabis. It can also be used to "freebase" (a different smoking method than crack). It is typically used by "snorting" or "sniffing" through the nose or by injection. Department of Justice, n.d.).Ĭocaine powder is the more pure and more expensive form of cocaine.
The drug also builds up in the brain more quickly when it is smoked or injected into a vein (U.S. The "high" of smoked and IV (intravenous) injected cocaine is more intense than other methods in part because cocaine reaches the brain more quickly. Smoking and injecting cocaine, for example, both have rapid effects-more so than "sniffing" or "snorting" the drug through the nose. How long it takes to feel the euphoria or "rush" depends upon how quickly the drug reaches the brain. The amount used and how it is used determine effects, too. The effects of a drug depend upon how it reaches the brain and what happens in the brain once it is there. In contrast, "coke" (i.e., powdered cocaine) is usually snorted or injected. Crack cocaine, which comes in rock form, is usually smoked and inhaled. And, because they are formulated differently, they are also used differently. They are just different chemical formulations of the same drug. The first thing to remember is that crack and "coke" are both cocaine. What Is the Difference Between Crack and "Coke?" Over the years, addiction to crack has crossed the lines of "all races, classes (and) income levels." Adults, teens, and even children have now been reported to use it. In many poverty-stricken areas, crack became a product and business that dramatically changed the economy of those neighborhoods (Reinarman & H. Rather than a high-end, "rich man's" drug, crack took cocaine to another population-becoming available and used in poor urban neighborhoods. When crack became available, the cocaine clientele expanded and changed dramatically. Prior to that, cocaine was an expensive drug to use. Crack was not the first smokable form of cocaine available, but it was the first that even poor people could buy.
during the 1980s, primarily in larger cities like Los Angeles, New York, and Miami. The name "crack" comes from the crackling sound made when it is smoked in pipes.Ĭrack appeared in the U.S.
#Stages of crack addiction free#
It comes in solid blocks or crystals varying in color from yellow to pale rose or white (Foundation for a Drug Free World, 2014). These crack rocks look like small chunks of soap but feel much harder and sharper (Cleveland Clinic, 2014). Once processed, it is typically called "rock" because it is crystallized and broken into small hard pieces. It can be made or "cooked" easily in a home kitchen.
#Stages of crack addiction how to#