Crack Cocaine

Crack, a specially prepared smokable form of cocaine that is cheaper, easier to use and highly addictive, and has become a popular drug of abuse. The drug cartel did for cocaine what fast food chains did for hamburgers--cocaine is now available in a form that is better, faster and cheaper. Called the "fast food of drugs," crack is a purified form of cocaine that is smoked by inhaling the vapors that are given off as the drug is heated. Crack is preprocessed and sold in small vials at about $5 to $10 per vial, and is in the form of small chunks.

The drug is said to take its name from the crackling noise it makes when heated for smoking.

Crack is the street name given to freebase cocaine that has been processed from cocaine hydrochloride to a base, using ammonia or baking soda and water. Rather than using the more volatile method of processing which uses ether, crack is heated to remove the hydrochloride.

It is particularly disturbing that, for the first time, cocaine is being mass marketed on the streets in its crack or freebase form, eliminating the need for the user to process "street cocaine" into freebase.

Because it is smoked, crack is far more potent and takes effect much faster than powdered cocaine. In less than 10 seconds, the cocaine in the crack smoke reaches the brain.