What is Crack Cocaine?

Crack cocaine is a combination of lethal chemicals.

Crack cocaine is a potentially lethal derivative of cocaine which is an alkaloid that is found in the leaves of the coca plant.  The name, “crack”, comes from the sound that the drug makes when it is heated in a pipe and smoked which causes a crackling noise.  Crack is one of the most potent brain stimulants on the street and is also a powerfully addicting drug.

Powder cocaine that is cooked with a sodium bicarbonate becomes what is widely known as freebase or crack cocaine.  This type of cocaine is far more addictive and therefore more lethal than the powder form of the drug and because it is more potent, less is needed which makes crack cocaine actually cheaper on the street than powder cocaine.

Because crack is created by adding water, baking soda and ammonia to powder cocaine and then cooking the mixture until it forms a hard rocky substance, it only takes a small amount of cocaine to make a much larger amount of crack.  This is what makes the crack form of cocaine so much less expensive than powder cocaine.  The crack is then sold in chunks for anywhere from $5 to hundreds of dollars depending on the size of the “rock.”  Very large pieces of crack are sometimes referred to as “cookies” on the street and can cost $100 or more.

Crack cocaine use can very quickly become an expensive habit that is both difficult and dangerous to quit.  Smoking crack results in a very fast high and since the vapors of the drug are absorbed into the bloodstream within seconds, the user experiences a near immediate high that can last anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours.  Unlike powder cocaine, which is injected or snorted, crack cocaine is only smoked, usually from what is known on the street as a crack pipe, stem or similar paraphernalia.

Crack was once thought to be the drug of choice among those of the lower class, low-income but today this drug is widely used by individuals from a range of socioeconomic lifestyles, rich and poor.  All classes of society have been affected by the use of crack cocaine in one way or another and in most cases, the majority of people have either:  a) used crack cocaine; or b) know someone who has used crack.

Abusing crack cocaine leads to addiction that is devastating to both the individual using the drug and those who care about that person.  Fortunately, there are crack rehab centers and various forms of treatment available to assist in the recovery from crack cocaine addiction.  It is important that you seek help immediately if you, or someone you love, is addicted to this dangerous and deadly substance.