Crack Cocaine Facts

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Crack is the slang term for the modified form of cocaine. Cocaine hydrochloride is processed with ammonia, baking soda and water to remove the hydrochloride. The once powdered form of cocaine becomes a rock-like substance that users can smoke. The street term “crack” is derived from the crackling noise that is heard when the substance is smoked. It is a highly addictive substance that causes devastating consequences.

Street Names

These are just some of the slang terms for crack:

•  Cookies
•  Dice
• Glo
• Grit
• Rock
• Raw
• Scrabble
• Candy
• Gravel
• Sleet
• Paste
• Hail
• Hard Ball
• Piece
• Snow Coke
• Crumbs
• Troop

How Crack Is Abused

The most common method that people use is smoking it. There are various types of paraphernalia that are used such as a pipe, soda can, or by lacing marijuana or tobacco with crack and smoking it out of a cigarette or a joint. People have been known to mix crack with other substances which is known as “spaceblasting.”

Short Term Effects Of Crack Abuse

Crack gets into the bloodstream extremely quickly that gets the user high within ten seconds of ingesting the drug. The high only lasts about ten minutes which is followed by less desirable feelings. These are some of the short term effect of crack ranging from the rise of the high to the come down of the high:

• Euphoria
• Increased energy
• Heightened senses of sight, smell and sound
• Delusions
• Impaired judgment
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Confusion

Long Term Effects Of Crack

For individuals that are chronic users, the side effects start to become very dangerous and even life threatening. These are the long term effects of crack:

• Hypertension
• Respiratory issues
• Heart issues
• Organ failure
• Severe tooth decay
• Urinary track problems
• Lung damage
• Sexual impotence
• Seizures
• Stroke
• Severe coughing

Crack Addiction

Crack is one of the most addictive and dangerous substances on the market. It is a substance commonly seen in lower class communities as it is cheap to manufacture with household items. A study done by the Department of Justice showed that in 1995, 63 percent of people that enrolled in crack detox programs were under the age of 35. In 2005, only 32 percent of individuals under the age of 35 entered crack detox programs. The amount of young people entering treatment for crack addiction continues to decrease today. The changing demographic that is entering crack detox at a later age is not a correlation with the age group that most commonly uses crack. This only brings to light a concern that the youth of America are not seeking treatment before the more lethal stages of the addiction begin. That is why it is so important for communities to approach this problem with knowledge about the outcomes of crack use, and utilize it to deter people from using the substance and/or encourage them to get treatment.

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