What Are The Differences Between Cocaine And Crack? 

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Have you or a loved one been taking a form of cocaine and cannot stop?  Addiction therapy services is your best chance of quitting.  Do not delay in getting help.

 

Cocaine and crack

Crack and cocaine are both highly addictive drugs, made from the coca plant, which is found in South America.  Cocaine hydrochloride is the chemical which is extracted from coca plant leaves, and is the base to both cocaine and crack.  As they have the same ingredients, they share many of the same side effects, like euphoria, increased energy, heightened alertness, anxiety and paranoia.

 

These sensations are made by the brain’s reward system pathway, and is the reason for these short-term effects creating such a high potential for abuse and addiction.  As time goes on, increasing amounts of the drug are required to achieve the same high.

 

Differences between cocaine and crack-Addiction

Making cocaine with coca leaves is a time-consuming process, that requires a solvent, like kerosene or acid, so that the cocaine can be extracted from the leaves.  Once the cocaine has been separated by the leaves, it is then processed so that the impurities can be removed.  After this, it is dried into a powder which is known as cocaine hydrochloride, the fundamental street-form of the drug cocaine.  

 

Crack is made by further processing cocaine.  While these drugs originate from similar places, there are some important differences.

 

Cocaine

This powdered form of cocaine may be snorted, rubbed on gums or injected into the veins.  Depending on how the drug is administered, cocaine effects can come on quickly.  After the drug has been snorted, effects are felt in 3 to 5 minutes, and the high lasts for around 15 to 30 minutes.  When powdered cocaine is injected, a high is felt within 15 to 30 seconds.

 

Some street dealers cut cocaine with other substances, to increase their profits.

 

Crack cocaine

Crack is made when cocaine is dissolved into water and mixed with baking soda.  This mixture is heated to remove hydrochloride, which leaves behind crack cocaine.  Sold on streets, rocks of crack cocaine vary in size, but tend to be between one tenth to one half of a gram.  Rocks of crack cocaine usually sell for between $3 to $50.

 

When crack is smoked, vapor is inhaled and enters the bloodstream almost as quickly as if it were injected.  Crack takes its name from the crackling sound that is made when the drug is smoked.  The high is almost instant and lasts from between 5 to 10 minutes.

 

Is crack worse for you than cocaine?

A common perception is that cocaine is safer to use than crack cocaine.  The perception has been reinforced by penalties from the two drugs.  Crack cocaine possession penalties tend to be more severe than those for possession of cocaine, in a ratio or 18 to 1.  

 

This means that 28 grams of crack receives the same sentences as half a kilo of powder cocaine.  This disparity is controversial and has been attributed to racial and economic bias, instead of the relative harm of crack cocaine to cocaine.

 

Dangers of mixing crack cocaine and cocaine

If someone consumes both substances at the same time, the symptoms overlap, making the chance of an overdose increasing.  Effects of both drugs can be intense and unpredictable.

 

Both drugs are cut with other substances, which dramatically increases risks of an accidental overdose occurring.

 

Statistics on cocaine

Though some populations of South America have been chewing coca plant leaves for over 4000 years, the active ingredient was only introduced to the US in 1900s.  It was used in tonics, elixirs and toothache drops, and was even in early formulations of Coca-Cola, exemplifying the public’s lack of knowledge regarding this potent addictive drug.  Cocaine is now known to negatively alter the structure of the brain, and is classified by the DEA as a schedule II drug, meaning that it can only legally be administered by a physician for procedures that require its use.  Recreational use of cocaine is considered a crime.

 

The UN Drug Report estimates that there are around 20 million people using cocaine worldwide.  The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reported that 5.9 million people admitted to taking cocaine in the United States in 2017.

 

Conclusion

If you or a loved one has been taken cocaine or crack cocaine and cannot stop, it may be time to seek out addiction therapy services in Fairfax County, Virginia.  

 

Both cocaine and crack cocaine can seriously harm people, and can ultimately lead to death.





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