CRACK COCAINE
Crack or 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.
Smoking crack allows it to reach the brain more quickly and thus brings an intense and immediate—but very short-lived—high that lasts about fifteen minutes. And because addiction can develop even more rapidly if the substance is smoked rather than snorted (taken in through the nose), an abuser can become addicted after his or her first time trying crack.
Because of cocaine’s high cost, it has long been considered a “rich man’s drug.” Crack, on the other hand, is sold at prices so low that even teens can afford to buy it—at first. The truth is that once a person is addicted, the expense skyrockets in direct ratio to the increasing amount needed to support the habit.
Cocaine comes from the leaves of the coca plant that grows in the Andes Mountains in South America. For thousands of years, many indigenous tribes in this region have chewed coca leaves to produce a mild, stimulating feeling, and continue to do so to this day.
Scientists isolated cocaine from coca leaves in the 1850s. Until the start of the 20th century, this new “wonder drug” could be found in countless medicines to treat a variety of ailments. It was also included in many of the popular health tonics of the day, including Coca-Cola.
Cocaine is a fine white powder, bitter to the taste. When inhaled or injected, it causes a numbing effect. “Crack” cocaine is a smokeable form of cocaine made into small “rocks” by processing cocaine with sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and water.
Crack Cocaine Facts
-
Many myths surround cocaine and crack cocaine use.
Despite media reports claiming crack to be addictive with a single use, the best data, from government-sponsored surveys, have consistently shown that less than one out of four people who ever tried the drug used it more than once. Media stories of a “crack baby” epidemic, which began to appear in the late 1980s, are now considered greatly exaggerated. Research now indicates that other factors, such as poverty, are responsible for many of the ills previously thought to be associated with cocaine and crack cocaine use.
-
Criminal penalties for possession and sale of powder and crack cocaine are severe.
Despite recent federal reforms of crack sentencing laws, much higher penalties still exist for possession and sale of crack, despite the fact that, pharmacologically, it is the same drug as cocaine. Possession of 28 grams of crack cocaine yields a five-year mandatory minimum sentence for a first offense; it takes 500 grams of powder cocaine to prompt the same sentence.
-
Most users sniff or snort cocaine, although it can also be injected or smoked.
Crack is smoked. Since the 1980s, cocaine has become more plentiful and cheaper. Although cocaine HCL and crack remain widely available throughout most of the United States, the cost and purity of both drugs vary.
-
The duration of cocaine’s effects depends on the route of administration.
The high from snorting or sniffing powder cocaine may last 15-30 minutes. 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, and last 5-10 minutes.
-
Although cocaine is easy for teenagers to obtain, only a small percentage of them try it.
According to government surveys, eight percent of high school seniors reported using cocaine at least once during their lifetime. This is markedly lower than the peak of 17 percent for the senior class of 1985. In terms of crack, 3 percent of eighth graders, 4 percent of tenth graders, and 4 percent of twelfth graders reported using the drug at least once during their lifetime in the same survey. In 2010, 23 percent of eighth graders, 32 percent of tenth graders, and 45 percent of twelfth graders reported that crack was “fairly easy” or “very easy” to obtain.
Crack Cocaine Treatment and Prevention
Breaking a crack cocaine dependency is difficult, and treatment is costly and prolonged, involving treatment centers and support groups. Since addiction is a chronic disorder, the detoxification process is just the first step, and there is no final cure. Remissions can be expected, and the goal of treatment may have to be the control and reduction of use and dependency.
Prevention efforts in the United States have for a long time been focused primarily on stopping cocaine imports from South America, mainly Peru and Colombia, and these efforts have had some success in breaking up the powerful and wealthy cartels that control the cultivation and trade of the coca leaf. However, these producers are still sending coca to the United States and continue to seek other markets worldwide for their deadly crop.
Studies have shown that a recent decline of cocaine usage in the United States is directly correlated to educational programs targeting young people and aiming to enhance their understanding of the dangers of cocaine use. Such educational programs are more likely to lead to results than interdiction efforts and provide the best hope of curtailing the current epidemic of cocaine abuse and preventing similar epidemics in the future.
Crack cocaine addiction treatment should be approached in holistic manner including intensive therapy, behavioral therapies and support that leading rehab centers provide. If you are fighting urges to use, even if you believe the problem is under control, call us right now at 1-888-563-5213. Our helpline representatives can answer your questions and provide you with tips for immediate treatment options at the appropriate recovery center in your area.