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What Is Crack Cocaine?
Effects of Long-Term Crack Use on the Body
Effects of Long-Term Crack Use on the Mind
Other Consequences of Long-Term Crack Use
Finding a Crack Treatment Facility
Learn More and Find Addiction Help

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People who use crack are often seeking an intense euphoric high and, perhaps, a temporary escape from personal problems that they can’t cope with.

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2. In short, general effects of crack use include: A sense of self-importance and invincibility; Strong euphoria; Bursts of energy; Sharp focus; Detachment from reality; The tell-tale signs of use will commonly include sudden and unexpected bursts of energy, surpassing any reasonable amount of excitement.
3. General effects of crack use include weight loss and generally poor health. Log in for more information. Added 3 minutes 22 seconds ago 6:24:48 PM. This answer has been confirmed as correct and helpful. There are no comments. Add an answer or comment. Log in or sign up first.

However, these fleeting highs are often replaced with longer-term devastation in many areas of their life.

Unfortunately, the allure of crack is tough for many to resist, and the drug is so powerful that it’s quite possible to become addicted after the first time it is used.

Eventually, the slippery slope of addiction can develop into long-term drug use – a destructive pattern of behavior that can ultimately lead to a range of health issues and personal damage.

What Is Crack Cocaine?

Crack cocaine is the most commonly used form of “freebase” cocaine. While crack cocaine is most commonly smoked, it may also be snorted or injected. This is in contrast to hydrochloric salt forms of cocaine that can’t be as easily smoked, and are more frequently used via the other routes of administration.

Both cocaine forms come from the Erythroxylum coca plant that is native to the Andes Mountain regions of South America. While pharmaceutical cocaine exists, and is scheduled for some medical use, the bulk of the drug that makes its way to the U.S. is found on the illicit market. All forms of cocaine, when abused, can quickly lead to addiction and its associated ills.

According to The Partnership at Drugfree.org, many people enjoy the effects of crack after smoking it, as it gives an individual increased alertness and energy. However, the high lasts only until the drug leaves the brain, which can be only five to 10 minutes. This means that in order to continue to feel the effects, one must continually smoke it. When the high goes away, the person feels a “crash” that may include excessive tiredness, irritability and depression. Because of this, crack is often used in binges and in increasingly higher doses, which makes a person prone to overdose.

Short-term Effects of Crack Use

Although being high on crack feels pleasurable to many people, it comes with many drawbacks. Crack is especially bad for your health. According to The Partnership at Drugfree.org, crack can cause many negative effects, including dilated pupils, insomnia, irritability, anxiety, restlessness, and a rise in blood pressure and body temperature. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, crack can also cause nausea, stomach pain and headaches. It can also cause a loss of appetite, which can leave a body malnourished. Crack can also constrict blood vessels and cause an increase in heart rate, which can lead to a stroke or heart attack. Either of these conditions can cause sudden death. In fact, many deaths related to cocaine use are because of heart attacks and seizures.

Effects of Long-term Crack Use on the Body

If you have used crack over a long period of time, you can expect to see a number of physical changes occur. Among other organ systems, these changes can affect:

1. Your brain.
2. Your heart.
3. Your lungs.
4. Your nose.

1. Crack’s Effects on Your Brain

Unfortunately, your brain doesn’t forget the damage done from using crack. Long-term effects on the brain may include^1-6:

• Structural and functional brain abnormalities (worsened memory and attention span).
• Compromised dopamine production and activity throughout the brain.
• Movement disorders.
• Seizures, strokes and the potential for irreversible brain damage.
• Brain aneurysm (abnormal dilation of a blood vessel) and brain hemorrhage.

Crack, as an excitotoxic stimulant, is capable of killing brain cells and can cause persistent changes to various neural pathways. Crack can cause seizures – even in first-time users.

Crack’s intense circulatory system influence can precipitate strokes, which can create even more irreversible brain damage. Your risk of a brain aneurysm (abnormal dilation of a blood vessel) also increases, which can lead to a deadly brain hemorrhage.

2. Effects on Your Heart

Another long-term effect of crack use is extensive damage to your heart. Damage to the cardiovascular system may manifest as^7-10:

• Chest pain.
• Elevated heart rate.
• Elevated blood pressure.
• Increased resistance in the body’s blood vessels.
• Increased risk of heart attacks.
• Increased risk of cardiac arrhythmias.
• Increased risk of sudden death.

Long-term crack use is also associated with ventricular hypertrophy – which is an enlargement of the heart wall. This can lead to an increased risk of heart arrhythmias, heart attack and congestive heart failure.

Coronary atherosclerosis may also develop from long-term crack use. Coronary atherosclerosis is the hardening of your arteries – and spasms near these hardened areas can deprive the heart of blood, resulting in ischemic chest pain and, ultimately, myocardial infarction.

3. Effects on Your Lungs

Lung problems are a common long-term risk of crack use. The type of lung problems you will experience depend on the route of drug administration you’ve been using and may include any of the following^11-13:

• Shortness of breath.
• Coughing up sputum.
• Coughing up blood.
• Chest pain.
• Wheezing.

More unusual lung complications that may result from long-term crack use may include:

• Pulmonary hemorrhage (bleeding of the lung).
• Pneumothorax (a collapsed lung).
• Pulmonary edema (accumulation of fluid in the lungs).
• Thermal airway injury (from the heated vapor).
• Pneumomediastinum (abnormal presence of air in the space between the lungs).

You may suffer severe respiratory problems such as a chronic cough, bleeding from the lungs, or you may have “air hunger” which makes you feel as if you aren’t getting enough air into your lungs. Air hunger is very distressing and can lead to panic attacks because it can make you feel as if you are suffocating or dying.

4. Effects on Your Nose

Depending on your method of using crack cocaine, long-term abuse can result in severe damage to the tissue – and even the structure – of your nose. Snorting crack cocaine can result in nasal damage that may include^3,14:

• Perforated nasal septum (a tear or hole in the cartilage bridge between your nostrils).
• Chronic rhinitis (irritation and inflammation of the nasal tissue).
• Sinus infections.
• Ulcers in the throat.
• Nasal tissue death, due to narrowing of the blood vessels and insufficient oxygen.
• Nosebleeds.
• Anosmia, or loss of smell.

Nasal insufflation of all forms of cocaine can create holes in your nasal septum. These holes may be small or large and can lead to serious infections.

You could also destroy your nasal septum completely and cause permanent disfiguration to your facial features. This damage can make it difficult to breath. In fact, some chronic crack users are only able to breath through their mouth.

Chronic sinus infections, chronic runny nose and frequent nosebleeds may also develop due to the damage in your nasal lining. Some individuals even lose their ability to smell, which can impact the ability to enjoy food.

Effects of Long-term Crack Use on the Mind

Long-term use of crack also causes severe mental problems. Some of the mental health problems that may result include¹⁵:

• Restlessness.
• Anxiety.
• Depression.
• Irritability.
• Paranoia.
• Hallucinations.

You may suffer from a deep, crushing depression that causes you to lose interest in life.You may begin to suffer from paranoia and hallucinations – developments that may persist long after you abstain from crack.

You may lose the ability to feel pleasure since crack affects the reward centers in the brain. You may even become violent and aggressive.

There are many effects of long-term crack use on the mind – all of which are important reasons for making sure you seek the help you need.

Other Consequences of Long-term Crack Use

While long-term crack use can cause devastating damage to both your physical and mental health, it can also wreak havoc on your personal life – from relationships with family and friends to performance at work and in school.

Other long-term physical effects are not related to addiction or withdrawal, however. For instance, crack can cause sexual dysfunction in both men and women. Both men and women can become infertile as the drug damages the reproductive systems.

Cocaine use, including crack use, can cause individuals to make risky choices in their lives that can lead to diseases such as hepatitis B and C, HIV and AIDS.

Damage to Personal Life

Problems from long-term crack use affecting your personal life can be far-reaching:

• Broken relationships with family and friends.
• Losing the trust of those you love if you have lied and stolen from them in order to get more crack.
• Poor performance at work or school.
• Losing your job, vehicle, home, significant other and kids.
• Financial destruction from using your money to pay for your drug use.
• Increasing your risk of becoming homeless.
• Being thrown in prison or jail for years due to your crack habit.

Is It Really Worth It?

With the consequences of long-term crack use being so pervasive in so many aspects of your life, you have to ask yourself if continued drug use is really worth it.

In the end, you deserve a better quality of life – from your health to your relationships to your career and general wellbeing.

You need to start believing that you are worth it and that recovering from your addiction is really possible.

Perhaps you still need some help believing these things. And that’s ok. We are here to help you see these truths and to lend you a hand to help you see what options and hope you have for recovering. Call to speak with one of our caring recovery advisors today.

Do You Need Help for Crack Addiction?

Denial can be a strong deterrent to getting the help you need for a drug or alcohol addiction. Admitting that you have a problem with drug addiction is not an admission of weakness or failure. Addiction is a disease, and like any disease, it can be treated. How do you know if you have an addiction to crack cocaine? Ask yourself the following questions. If you answer “yes” to any of them, give us a call and let us help you find the best private residential crack addiction treatment center that can help you to stop using cocaine today.

In the past year, have you:

• Been unable to stop using crack once you’ve started?
• Experienced withdrawal symptoms that have caused you to give up sobriety and return to using crack?
• Chosen to use crack rather than go to work, go to school or otherwise meet your obligations?
• Driven a car while under the influence of crack cocaine?
• Continued to use crack cocaine despite harmful consequences to your health, your lifestyle or an experience with pending legal problems?

If you or someone you love is experiencing the disease of addiction to crack or any other form of drugs, contact us right away so we can help you find the resources you need. It is possible to reclaim your life and the lives of those you love through evidence-based treatments with experienced and trained professionals.

Finding a Crack Treatment Facility

When you find yourself ready to start exploring your crack addiction treatment options, it will be helpful for you to understand a few of the different addiction treatment facility types that are available to you:

• Luxury rehab facilities offer 24/7 residential addiction treatment care alongside a range of high-end, resort-like amenities to make your recovery more comfortable.
• Executive rehab facilities offer the same care and many of the same extra amenities that luxury programs offer – only they also provide special resources and program structures to accommodate busy professionals who need to remain actively involved in the workplace during recovery.
• Traditional or standard rehab facilities offer quality addiction recovery care but without the extra amenities or costs that come with luxury facilities. Both inpatient (residential) and outpatient (non-residential) treatment options are available.

Learn More and Get Help for Your Addiction

If you’d like to stop the damage that crack is causing in your life, or if you’d just like to get some more information – contact us today at .

You are worth it.

Sources

1. Rojas, R., Riascos, R., Vargas, D., Cuellar, H., Borne, J. (2005). Neuroimaging in drug and substance abuse part I: cocaine, cannabis, and ecstasy. Top Magn Reson Imaging, 16(3), 231.
2. Angrist, B. (1987). Clinical effects of central nervous system stimulants: A selective update. In: Brain Reward Systems and Abuse, Engel, J., Oreland, L., Ingvar, D. H., et al (Eds). Raven Press, New York, 109-27.
3. Boghdadi, M. S., Henning, R. J. (1997). Cocaine: pathophysiology and clinical toxicology.Heart Lung, 26(6), 466.
4. Brust, J. C. (1998). Acute neurologic complications of drug and alcohol abuse. Neurol Clin., 16(2), 503.
5. Neiman, J., Haapaniemi, H. M., Hillbom, M. (2000). Neurological complications of drug abuse: pathophysiological mechanisms.Eur J Neurol., 7(6), 595.
6. Treadwell, S., D., Robinson, T. G. (2007). Cocaine use and stroke.Postgrad Med J., 83(980), 389.
7. McCord, J., Jneid, H., Hollander, J. E., de Lemos, J. A., Cercek, B., Hsue, P., et al. (2008). Management of cocaine-associated chest pain and myocardial infarction: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association Acute Cardiac Care Committee of the Council on Clinical Cardiology, 117(14), 1897.
8. Afonso, L., Mohammad, T., Thatai, D. (2007). Crack whips the heart: a review of the cardiovascular toxicity of cocaine. Am J Cardiol., 100(6), 1040.
9. Lange, R. A., Hillis, L. D. (2001). Cardiovascular complications of cocaine use.N Engl J Med., 345(5), 351.
10. Ghuran, A., Nolan, J. (2000). Recreational drug misuse: issues for the cardiologist. Heart, 83(6), 627.
11. Caponnetto, P., Auditore, R., Russo, C., Alamo, A., Campagna, D., Demma, S., et al. (2013). “Dangerous relationships”: asthma and substance abuse. J Addict Dis, 32(2), 158-67.
12. Tseng, W., Sutter, M. E., Alberston, T. E. (2014). Stimulants and the lung: review of literature. Clin Rev Allergy Immunol., 46(1), 82-100.
13. de Almeida, R. R., de Souza, L. S., Macano, A. D., Souza, A. S. Jr., Irion, K. L., Nobre, L. F., et al. (2014). High-resolution computed tomographic findings of cocaine-induced pulmonary disease: a state of the art review. Lung, 192(2), 225-33.
14. Warner, E. A. (1993). Cocaine abuse.Ann Intern Med, 119(3), 226.
15. What are the long-term effects of cocaine use. National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Crack cocaine, which is often just referred to as crack, is a free-base version of cocaine that can be smoked. When it’s smoked, it delivers a short but very intense high to the user, and because of that sense of euphoria it creates, it’s incredibly addictive.

It’s described by most substance abuse research and professionals as the most addictive form of cocaine, and it first gained widespread worldwide attention during the 1980s, when inner city neighborhoods were overrun with its use. That time was often called the crack epidemic, and it hit places like New York and Los Angeles particularly hard.

While it’s no longer the 1980s, crack is still used by people, leading many people to wonder how to know if someone is on the drug.

Since crack is a stimulant, when someone takes it, it tends to speed up the processes happening in their body, mentally and physically. Since crack is smoked, the effects of taking it occur almost instantly.

The drug is absorbed straight from the lungs of the user into the bloodstream, but these effects usually end after 5 or 10 minutes.

The short-term effects of being high on crack are one why it’s highly addictive and abused. As people try to chase the high of initially smoking, they may take more and more crack, or become obsessed with it.

Some of the signs someone is on crack include:

• Right after taking it they will feel euphoric or have an inflated sense of self
• A burst of energy occurs almost right away
• The person will be very focused at first
• Dilated pupils
• Insomnia
• Suppressed appetite
• Muscle twitches
• Nosebleeds
• Increased rate of breathing
• Burns on fingers
• Blistered or burned lips from smoking from a pipe
• Restlessness
• “Coke bugs” which are the hallucination of bugs crawling under the skin

Some of the mental and behavioral signs someone is on crack can include:

• Mood swings
• Amplified aggression or volatile behavior
• Hallucinations and other psychotic episodes including hallucinations
• Obsessive desire to smoke crack

If you’re wondering not just whether or not someone is on crack, but how to tell if they are addicted, one of the biggest signs of addiction and dependence is smoking large amounts of the drug. Users of crack tend to develop a tolerance quickly, and they require more for the same effect.

When someone is addicted to crack, they’re likely to engage in illegal or dangerous activities to keep getting the drug. This could include illegal activities such as stealing, violence or dangerous sexual behaviors. People who are addicted to crack will stop paying attention to their responsibilities, including attending school or work, paying bills, or taking care of their family. Relationships will often decay because crack is such an addictive and all-consuming drug.

Being addicted to crack can ultimately lead not only to the breakdown of relationships and the end of careers, but also to legal troubles that come not just from trying to obtain the drug, but also the potential ramifications of being caught possessing or using the drug.

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Your call is confidential, and there's no pressure to commit to treatment until you're ready. As a voluntary facility, we're here to help you heal -- on your terms. Our sole focus is getting you back to the healthy, sober life you deserve, and we are ready and waiting to answer your questions or concerns 24/7.

Speak to an Intake Coordinator now.352.771.2700Even if you know the signs of someone being on crack presently, you may not know how long they’ve been using the drug. There are a number of health risks associated with crack that occur in the short-term and the long-term. Some of these potential adverse health side effects of crack may include:

• Extreme weight loss and malnutrition
• Long-term cardiovascular problems that can lead to heart attack and stroke
• Cognitive decline
• Confusion and psychotic problems
• Damaged mouth, teeth, and lips
• Severe depression and anxiety

People who are on crack for a long period of time are more likely to experience infections because of a compromised immune system, and they may have damage to organs including the liver and kidneys.

Crack is a drug that is conducive to bingeing for many addicts. The reason, as mentioned, is the short amount of time the high lasts. This can lead someone who is addicted to the drug to take it repeatedly in a short window of time, at higher and higher doses.

Signs that someone is on crack and potentially has binged can include extreme irritability and paranoia as well as restlessness. In some instances, a large amount of crack may lead to a complete psychosis. Signs that someone is on crack and experiencing psychosis can include a loss of reality and hallucinations.

Using crack in large amounts can also lead to very erratic, strange behavior, tremors, and vertigo.

One of the first ways you can start to identify whether or not someone is on crack is to know what it looks like. Typically pure crack will appear as off-white “rocks” which aren’t very dense and may seem crystalline. When someone puts a crack rock on their tongue, it numbs it. Pure crack will also melt when introduced to a flame or water.

In many cases, however, crack isn’t pure when it’s sold on the street, and it’s often cut with many other substances to increase how much it seems like a person is buying. Some of the substances crack is cut with can be incredibly dangerous.

Another important way you can determine if someone is on crack is to know paraphernalia used to take the drug. Some of the common forms of crack paraphernalia include a smoking pipe, tube, an antenna or something similar, and a lighter or even a small torch.

With some drugs such as prescription medications, it can be difficult to determine when there’s abuse and an addiction and when use is normal. Crack is not one of those drugs. Crack is an incredibly addictive and powerful drug, and it’s not likely that someone can do it recreationally without becoming addicted and physically dependent on it.

If you sense a person is using crack at all, even if they’re acting as if it’s recreational, it should be a huge cause for concern.

Virtually anyone who is using crack but particularly if they’re letting their responsibilities go or using more than they intend to, particularly in the face of negative consequences, they can be described as having an addiction to cocaine. If this is the case, treatment is necessary, and if you recognize signs that someone is on crack, you should contact a medical professional or addiction specialist.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Crack cocaine, crack or rock is a solid, smokable form of cocaine. It is a freebase form of cocaine that can be made using baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) or sodium hydroxide,^[1] in a process to convert cocaine hydrochloride (powder cocaine) into methylbenzoylecgonine (freebase cocaine).^[1][2][3]

2Chemistry 3Health issues 4Legal status

Appearance and characteristics

Crack cocaine as sold on the streets may be adulterated or 'buffed' to increase bulk. According to Cpl. Kent Dahl, with Red Deer RCMP Federal Drugs, Canada, white substances mimicking the appearance of cocaine are added to increase bulk. Use of toxic adulterants such as levamisole^[4] has been documented.^[3]

In purer forms, crack rocks appear as off-white nuggets with jagged edges,^[2] with a slightly higher density than candle wax. Purer forms of crack resemble a hard brittle plastic, in crystalline form^[2] (snaps when broken). A crack rock acts as a local anesthetic (see: Cocaine), numbing the tongue or mouth only where directly placed. When smoked, crack can leave the tongue numb where the smoke enters the mouth.^{[citation needed]}Purer forms of crack will sink in water or melt at the edges when near a flame (crack vaporizes at 90 °C, 194 °F).^[1]

Chemistry

Crack cocaine, often nicknamed 'crack' after the sound made during its manufacture, appeared primarily in impoverished inner-city neighborhoods in New York, Los Angeles, and Miami in late 1984 and 1985.^[5] Because of the dangers for manufacturers of using ether to produce pure freebase cocaine, producers began to omit the step of removing the freebase precipitate from the ammonia mixture. Typically, filtration processes are also omitted. The end result is that the cut, in addition to the ammonium salt (NH₄Cl), remains in the freebase cocaine after the mixture has evaporated. The 'rock' that is thus formed also contains a small amount of water.

Baking soda is a base used in preparation of crack, although other weak bases may substitute for it. The net reaction when using sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO₃, common baking soda) is

^{[citation needed]}

Crack cocaine is usually purchased already in rock form,^[2] although it is not uncommon for some users to 'wash up' or 'cook' the cocaine into crack themselves. This process is done with baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), water, and a spoon. Once mixed and heated, the bicarbonate breaks down into carbon dioxide and sodium carbonate, which then reacts with the hydrochloride of the cocaine molecule, leaving cocaine as an oily free base. Once separated from the hydrochloride, the cocaine alkaloid floats to the top of the now leftover liquid. It is at this point that the oil is picked up rapidly, usually with a pin or long thin object. This pulls the oil up and spins it, allowing air to set and dry the oil, and allows the user and/or maker to roll the oil into the rock-like shape.

Crack vaporizes near temperature 90 °C (194 °F),^[1] much lower than the cocaine hydrochloride melting point of 190 °C (374 °F).^[1] Whereas cocaine hydrochloride cannot be smoked (burns with no effect),^[1]crack cocaine when smoked allows for quick absorption into the blood stream, and reaches the brain in 8 seconds.^[1] Coupled with the fact that crack is considered more potent than cocaine hydrochloride, users obtain an intense high much more quickly than with the normal method of insufflating^{[citation needed]} ('sniffing' or 'snorting') the powdered cocaine.

Psychological effects

Crack cocaine is a substance that affects the brain chemistry of the user: causing euphoria,^[6] supreme confidence,^[7] loss of appetite,^[6] insomnia,^[6] alertness,^[6] increased energy,^[6] a craving for more cocaine,^[7] and potential paranoia (ending after use).^[6][8] Its initial effect is to release a large amount of dopamine,^[2] a brain chemical inducing feelings of euphoria. The high usually lasts from 5–10 minutes,^[2][6] after which time dopamine levels in the brain plummet, leaving the user feeling depressed and low.^[2] When cocaine is dissolved and injected, the absorption into the bloodstream is at least as rapid as the absorption of the drug which occurs when crack cocaine is smoked,^[6] and similar euphoria may be experienced.

A typical response among users is to have another hit of the drug; however, the levels of dopamine in the brain take a long time to replenish themselves, and each hit taken in rapid succession leads to increasingly less intense highs.^[2] However, a person might binge for 3 or more days without sleep, while partying with occasional hits from the pipe.^[8]

Use of cocaine in a binge, during which the drug is taken repeatedly and at increasingly high doses, leads to a state of increasing irritability, restlessness, and paranoia.^[6] This may result in a full-blown paranoid psychosis, in which the individual loses touch with reality and experiences auditory hallucinations.^[6]

Stimulant drug abuse (particularly amphetamine and cocaine) can lead to delusional parasitosis (aka Ekbom's Syndrome: a mistaken belief they are infested with parasites).^[9] For example, excessive cocaine use can lead to formication, nicknamed 'cocaine bugs' or 'coke bugs,' where the affected people believe they have, or feel, parasites crawling under their skin.^[9] These delusions are also associated with high fevers or extreme alcohol withdrawal, often together with visual hallucinations about insects.^[9]

People experiencing these hallucinations might scratch themselves to the extent of serious skin damage and bleeding, especially when they are delirious.^[8][9]

Physiological effects

The short-term physiological effects of cocaine include:^[6] constricted blood vessels; dilated pupils; and increased temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure. Large amounts (several hundred milligrams or more) intensify the user's high, but may also lead to bizarre, erratic, and violent behavior.^[6] Large amounts can induce tremors, vertigo, muscle twitches, paranoia, or, with repeated doses, a toxic reaction closely resembling amphetamine poisoning.^[6] Some users of cocaine report feelings of restlessness, irritability, and anxiety. In rare instances, sudden death can occur on the first use of cocaine or unexpectedly thereafter.^[6] Cocaine-related deaths are often a result of cardiac arrest or seizures followed by respiratory arrest.

An appreciable tolerance to cocaine’s high may develop, with many addicts reporting that they seek but fail to achieve as much pleasure as they did from their first experience.^[6] Some users will frequently increase their doses to intensify and prolong the euphoric effects. While tolerance to the high can occur, users might also become more sensitive (sensitization) to cocaine's anesthetic and convulsant effects, without increasing the dose taken: this increased sensitivity may explain some deaths occurring after apparently low doses of cocaine.^[6]

Addiction

Crack cocaine is popularly thought to be the most addictive form of cocaine,^[1] and one of the most addictive forms of any drug.^[1] However, this claim has been contested: Morgan and Zimmer wrote that available data indicated that '..smoking cocaine by itself does not increase markedly the likelihood of dependence.. The claim that cocaine is much more addictive when smoked must be reexamined.'^[10] They argued that cocaine users who are already prone to abuse are most likely to 'move toward a more efficient mode of ingestion' (that is, smoking).

The intense desire to recapture the initial high is what is so addictive for many users.^[2] Purer forms of crack cocaine will produce the feeling of euphoria:^[2] even after smoking diluted or fake crack for hours, one hit of real crack will produce euphoria. Hours of misery or tweaking can be reversed with one single hit of real crack. The memory of that type of high can cause addicts to buy large amounts of street crack, hoping for the real thing.^[7]

On the other hand, Reinarman et al. wrote that the nature of crack addiction depends on the social context in which it is used and the psychological characteristics of users, pointing out that many heavy crack users go for days or weeks without using the drugs.^[11]

Health issues

Because crack also refers to non-pure (or fake) versions of rock cocaine,^[3] the health issues also include risks beyond smoking cocaine. However, crack usage is less dangerous than speedballing or 'snowballing' (mixing cocaine with heroin), which can lead to more fatalities than either drug used on its own.

When large amounts of dopamine are released by crack consumption, it becomes easier for the brain to generate motivation for other activities. The activity also releases a large amount of adrenaline into the body, which tends to increase heart rate^[12] and blood pressure, leading to long-term cardiovascular problems. It is suggested by research that smoking crack or freebase cocaine has additional health issues beyond other methods of taking cocaine. Many of these issues relate specifically to the release of methylecgonidine, and the specific effect of methylecgonidine on the heart,^[12] lungs,^[13] and liver.^[14]

• Toxic adulterants: As noted previously, virtually any substance may have been added in order to expand the volume of a batch, or appear to be pure crack. Occasionally, highly toxic substances are used, with an indefinite range of corresponding short and long-term health risks. For example, if candle wax or macadamia nuts are procured (as a form of fake crack) they will burn in a crack pipe producing a noxious smoke.

• Smoking problems: The task of introducing the drug into the body further presents a series of health risks. Crack can not be snorted like regular cocaine, so smoking is the most common consumption method. Crack has a melting point of around 90 °C(194 °F),^[1] and the smoke does not remain potent for long. Therefore, crack pipes are generally very short, to minimise the time between evaporating and losing strength. This often causes cracked and blistered lips, colloquially 'crack lip', from having a very hot pipe pressed against the lips. The use of 'convenience store crack pipes'^[15] - glass tubes which originally contained small artificial roses - may also create this condition. These 4-inch (10-cm) pipes^[15] are not durable and will quickly develop breaks; users will typically continue to use the pipe even though it has been broken to a shorter length. The hot pipe might burn the lips, tongue, or fingers, especially when shared with other people quickly taking another hit from the already hot short pipe.

• Pure or large doses: Because the quality of crack can vary greatly, some people might smoke larger amounts of diluted crack, unaware that a similar hit of a new batch of purer crack could cause an overdose: triggering heart problems or rendering the user unconscious.

• Pathogens on pipes: When pipes are shared, unless users rotate and push the pipe to the burnt, sterilized end, any bacteria or viruses from the previous user's mouth can be transferred: tuberculosis can be spread by saliva. In terms of harm reduction, mouth pieces (lengths of tubing added to the end of the glass pipe) should be used and not shared.

• Pathogens in needles/spoons: When crack is cooked down, as in a spoon with vinegar or lemon juice, for injecting with a syringe, diseases can be spread. Sexually transmitted infections such as HIV can be passed through a shared needle (or shared spoon if the needle is emptied into the spoon). From a harm reduction perspective, clean injection equipment should always be used and never shared. Ascorbic acid is safer for use than vinegar.

As a comparison, studies have shown that long-term insufflation (snorting) of cocaine in powder form can, after extensive use, destroy tissues in the nasal cavity,^[16] and has been known to create deviated septa, potentially collapsing the nose.^[16]

• Addiction is widely considered a health issue. Many governments have made access to clean equipment and education regarding safer practices difficult, as the use of cocaine is illegal.

Effects in pregnancy and nursing

'Crack baby' is a term for a child born to a mother who used crack cocaine during her pregnancy. There remains some dispute as to whether cocaine use during pregnancy poses a threat to the fetus. One complicating factor is the smoking of cigarettes, because almost all crack users also smoke cigarettes.^[17] The official opinion of the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the United States warns about health risks while cautioning against stereotyping:

Many recall that 'crack babies,' or babies born to mothers who used crack cocaine while pregnant, were at one time written off by many as a lost generation. They were predicted to suffer from severe, irreversible damage, including reduced intelligence and social skills. It was later found that this was a gross exaggeration. However, the fact that most of these children appear normal should not be overinterpreted as indicating that there is no cause for concern. Using sophisticated technologies, scientists are now finding that exposure to cocaine during fetal development may lead to subtle, yet significant, later deficits in some children, including deficits in some aspects of cognitive performance, information-processing, and attention to tasks—abilities that are important for success in school.^[18]

Some people previously believed that crack cocaine caused infant death as SIDS, but when investigators began looking at the incidence of SIDS in the children of women who used crack cocaine, they found it to be no higher than in children of women who smoked cigarettes.^[17]

There are also warnings about the threat of breastfeeding: 'It is likely that cocaine will reach the baby through breast milk.' The March of Dimes advises the following regarding cocaine use during pregnancy:

Cocaine use during pregnancy can affect a pregnant woman and her unborn baby in many ways. During the early months of pregnancy, it may increase the risk of miscarriage. Later in pregnancy, it can trigger preterm labor (labor that occurs before 37 weeks of pregnancy) or cause the baby to grow poorly. As a result, cocaine-exposed babies are more likely than unexposed babies to be born with low birthweight (less than 5.5 lb/2.5 kg). Low-birthweight babies are 20 times more likely to die in their first month of life than normal-weight babies, and face an increased risk of lifelong disabilities such as mental retardation and cerebral palsy. Cocaine-exposed babies also tend to have smaller heads, which generally reflect smaller brains. Some studies suggest that cocaine-exposed babies are at increased risk of birth defects, including urinary-tract defects and, possibly, heart defects. Cocaine also may cause an unborn baby to have a stroke, irreversible brain damage, or a heart attack.^[19]

Legal status

Canada

As a Schedule I substance, crack is not differentiated from cocaine and other coca products in the Criminal Code of Canada. However, the court may weigh the socio-economic factors of crack usage in sentencing. As a guideline, Schedule I drugs carry a maximum 7 year prison sentence for possession for an indictable offense, up to life imprisonment for trafficking and production. For a summary conviction on possession; a $1000–$2000 fine and/or 6 months to a year imprisonment.

United States

Cocaine is listed as a Schedule I drug in the United Nations 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, making it illegal for non-state-sanctioned production, manufacture, export, import, distribution, trade, use and possession.^[20][21]

In the United States cocaine is a Schedule II drug under the Controlled Substances Act since it has high abuse potential but also carries a medicinal purpose.^[22][23] Under the DEA listing of schedule I substances, crack is not considered separate from cocaine since they are essentially the same drug compound in different forms.

Law enforcement running drug stings to catch purchasers of crack cocaine often use macadamia nuts to simulate the drug.^[24] When chopped, these nuts resemble crack cocaine in color.

There has been some controversy over the disproportionate sentences mandated by the Federal Sentencing Guidelines for crack cocaine (versus powder cocaine) since 1987. Whereas it is a 5-year minimum sentence for trafficking 500g of powdered cocaine, the same sentence can be imposed for mere possession of 5 grams of crack cocaine, a 100:1 ratio. There is no mandatory minimum sentence for mere possession of powder cocaine.^[25] The United States Sentencing Commission has recommended that this disparity be rectified and existing sentences reduced.^[26] Some claim that this disparity amounts to institutional racism, as crack cocaine is more common in inner-city black communities, and powder cocaine in white suburban communities.^[27][28] The Supreme Court ruled in Kimbrough v. United States (2007) that the Guidelines for cocaine are advisory only, and that a judge may consider the disparity between the Guidelines' treatment of crack and powder cocaine offenses when sentencing a defendant.

Europe

In the United Kingdom crack is a Class A drug. In the Netherlands it is a List 1 drug of the Opium Law.

See also

• Cocaine paste ('paco')
• Related numbing (analgesic) medicines: proparacaine, tetracaine, lidocaine, procaine, hexylcaine, bupivacaine, benoxinate, mepivacaine, prilocaine, etidocaine, benzocaine, chloroprocaine, propoxycaine, dyclonine, dibucaine, and pramoxine.

References

1. ^ ^abcdefghijManual of Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment, Todd Wilk Estroff, M.D., 2001 (306 pages), pp. 44-45, (describes cocaine/crack processing & melting points): p.44 has 'cannot be smoked because..melting point of 190°C'; p.45 has 'It is the most addictive form of cocaine', webpage: Google-Books-Estroff.
2. ^ ^abcdefghij 'Crack rocks offer a short but intense high to smokers' staff members, A.M. Costa Rica, July 2008, webpage: AMCosta-crack.
3. ^ ^abc 'Officials warn of life-threatening cocaine in area', Stacy O'Brien, Red Deer Advocate, December 2008, webpage: reddeer-officials.
4. ^Kinzie, Erik (April 2009). 'Levamisole Found in Patients Using Cocaine'. Annals of Emergency Medicine53 (4). http://www.mdconsult.com/das/article/body/154945316-2/jorg=journal&source=&sp=21877276&sid=0/N/691072/1.html?issn=01960644. Retrieved 2009-08-18.
5. ^Reinarman, Craig; Levine, Harry G. (1997). 'Crack in Context: America's Latest Demon Drug'. in Reinarman, Craig; Levine, Harry G. Crack in America: Demon Drugs and Social Justice. Berkeley, Ca.: University of California Press.
6. ^ ^{abcdefghijklmnop} 'DEA, Drug Information, Cocaine', United States DOJ Drug Enforcement Agency, 2008, webpage: DEA-cocaine.
7. ^ ^abcWhite Mischief: A Cultural History of Cocaine, Tim Madge, 2004, ISBN 1560253703, Google Books link: books-google-PT18.
8. ^ ^abc 'Life or Meth - CRACK OF THE 90'S', Salt Lake City Police Department, Utah, 2008, PDF file: Methlife-PDF.
9. ^ ^abcd 'Delusional Parasitosis', The Bohart Museum of Entomology, 2005, webpage: UCDavis-delusional.
10. ^Morgan, John P.; Zimmer, Lynn (1997). 'Social Pharmacology of Smokeable Cocaine'. in Reinarman, Craig; Levine, Harry G. Crack in America: Demon Drugs and Social Justice. Berkeley, Ca.: University of California Press.
11. ^Reinarman, Craig; Waldorf, Dan; Murphy, Sheigla B.; Levine, Harry G. (1997). 'The Contingent Call of the Pipe: Bingeing and Addiction Among Heavy Cocaine Smokers'. in Reinarman, Craig; Levine, Harry G. Crack in America: Demon Drugs and Social Justice. Berkeley, Ca.: University of California Press.
12. ^ ^abScheidweiler KB, Plessinger MA, Shojaie J, Wood RW, Kwong TC (2003). 'Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of methylecgonidine, a crack cocaine pyrolyzate'. J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther.307 (3): 1179–87. doi:10.1124/jpet.103.055434. PMID14561847. http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/cgi/pmidlookup?view=long&pmid=14561847. Retrieved 2008-02-24.
13. ^Yang Y, Ke Q, Cai J, Xiao YF, Morgan JP (2001). 'Evidence for cocaine and methylecgonidine stimulation of M(2) muscarinic receptors in cultured human embryonic lung cells'. Br. J. Pharmacol.132 (2): 451–60. doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0703819. PMID11159694.
14. ^Fandiño AS, Toennes SW, Kauert GF (2002). 'Studies on hydrolytic and oxidative metabolic pathways of anhydroecgonine methyl ester (methylecgonidine) using microsomal preparations from rat organs'. Chem. Res. Toxicol.15 (12): 1543–8. doi:10.1021/tx0255828. PMID12482236.
15. ^ ^ab 'A Rose With Another Name: Crack Pipe', Allan Lengel, The Washington Post, April 5, 2006, webpage: highbeam-576: states 'four-inch-long tube that holds the flower' and 'Convenience stores, liquor stores and gas stations..sell what the street calls 'rosebuds' or 'stems' for $1 to $2'.
16. ^ ^abKaplan & Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry: Behavioral, Benjamin J. Sadock, Harold I. Kaplan, 2007, page 426, Google-Books webpage: books-google-KS426.
17. ^ ^ab 'Preventing Poisoned Minds', Dennis Meredith, Duke Magazine, July/August 2007, webpage: DM-17.
18. ^NIDA - Research Report Series - Cocaine Abuse and Addiction
19. ^'Illicit Drug Use During Pregnancy'. March of Dimes. http://www.marchofdimes.com/professionals/14332_1169.asp. Retrieved 2009-05-26.
20. ^'Cocaine and Crack'. European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction. http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/?nnodeid=25482#control. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
21. ^'Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1961'. International Narcotics Control Board. http://www.incb.org/pdf/e/conv/convention_1961_en.pdf. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
22. ^'DEA, Title 21, Section 812'. Usdoj.gov. http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/pubs/csa/812.htm#a. Retrieved 2008-09-05.
23. ^21 U.S.C.§ 812(b)(2) Retrieved on 2008-05-01.
24. ^'Nuts! Cops use holiday treat in drug sting', Chicago Sun Times, December 24, 2004. Accessed November 21, 2007.
25. ^ Sabet, Kevin A. Making it Happen: The Case for Compromise in the Federal Cocaine Law Debate
26. ^ U.S. Sentencing Commission, U.S. Sentencing Commission Votes To Amend Guidelines For Terrorism, Firearms, And Steroids, news release, April 27, 2007.
27. ^Lynn Eberhardt, Jennifer; Fiske, Susan T. (1998). Confronting racism: the problem and the response. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications. ISBN 0-7619-0368-2.
28. ^Angeli, David H. (1997). 'A 'Second Look' at Crack Cocaine Sentencing Policies: One More Try for Federal Equal Protection'. American Criminal Law Review34. http://www.questia.com/googleScholar.qst;jsessionid=LQBFZ08JvHdpqlv2dbzdB9z5knzfJlp1drLDyXLWnGSs2sTPKLdt!-368423529?docId=5000470681. Retrieved 2008-04-12..

External links

• Frank Parlato's interview with two 19-year old crack dealers
• Crackpot Ideas - July/August 1995 issue of Mother Jones.
• Top Medical Doctors and Scientists Urge Major Media Outlets to Stop Perpetuating 'Crack Baby' Myth - a petition.

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General Effects Of Crack Use Include Burning The American Flag

General Effects Of Crack Use Include Burning The Body