If you were to study the patterns of drug use in Indiana, you would discover that certain substances are more common in certain parts of the state than others. In the northern part, for example, the use of crack is very widespread.
The terms “crack” and “crack cocaine” can be very confusing. You may not be sure whether crack and cocaine are the same. According to American Addiction Centers, crack is cocaine in a different form.
How does crack derive from cocaine?
The manufacture of crack involves taking cocaine in its powdered form and mixing it with baking soda and water, then boiling the mixture. Crack is the hardened substance that remains when the mixture cools. The reason behind the name “crack” is a sound that the substance makes when heating and smoking it, which is sort of a crackle.
What makes crack different than cocaine?
People take cocaine by snorting the powder but use crack by smoking it. The high from snorting cocaine lasts longer, but crack takes effect more quickly. Crack is less expensive than cocaine, which makes it appealing to people who want to get high quickly and/or do not have much money to spend.
How can crack be dangerous?
Crack provides a quick high of short duration, only about five to 10 minutes. A “crash” is the sensation of coming down from the high. Physical dependence on crack can occur due to cycles of bingeing and crashing in an attempt to sustain the high.
Crack is extremely addictive because it is a highly concentrated form of cocaine. There have been reports of people becoming addicted to it after only one use. This is admittedly a rare occurrence, but it is nevertheless possible.
