The drug can also be rubbed onto mucous tissues. Smoking involves the inhalation of cocaine vapor or smoke into the lungs, where absorption into the bloodstream is as rapid as by injection. Injecting releases the drug directly into the bloodstream, and heightens the intensity of its effects. Snorting is the process of inhaling cocaine powder through the nostrils, where it is absorbed into the bloodstream through the nasal tissues. The slang terms for these routes are, respectively, "chewing," "snorting," "mainlining" or "injecting," and "smoking" (including freebase and crack cocaine). The principal routes of cocaine administration are oral, intranasal, intravenous, and inhalation. Another reason is that crack is inexpensive both to produce and to buy. This rather immediate and euphoric effect is one of the reasons that crack became enormously popular in the mid 1980s. Crack cocaine is processed with ammonia or sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and water, and heated to remove the hydrochloride.īecause crack is smoked, the user experiences a high in less than 10 seconds.
The term "crack" refers to the crackling sound heard when the mixture is smoked. What is crack?Ĭrack is the street name given to the freebase form of cocaine that has been processed from the powdered cocaine hydrochloride form to a smokable substance. The freebase form of cocaine is smokable.Ĭocaine is generally sold on the street as a fine, white, crystalline powder, known as "coke," "C," "snow," "flake," or "blow." Street dealers generally dilute it with such inert substances as cornstarch, talcum powder, and/or sugar, or with such active drugs as procaine (a chemically-related local anesthetic) or with such other stimulants as amphetamines. Freebase refers to a compound that has not been neutralized by an acid to make the hydrochloride salt. There are basically two chemical forms of cocaine: the hydrochloride salt and the "freebase." The hydrochloride salt, or powdered form of cocaine, dissolves in water and, when abused, can be taken intravenously (by vein) or intranasally (in the nose). The pure chemical, cocaine hydrochloride, has been an abused substance for more than 100 years, and coca leaves, the source of cocaine, have been ingested for thousands of years. In fact, it is one of the oldest known drugs. Cocaine has been labeled the drug of the 1980s and '90s, because of its extensive popularity and use during this period. What is Cocaine?Ĭocaine is a powerfully addictive stimulant that directly affects the brain. Find the right drug or alcohol abuse treatment program with the Substance Abuse Treatment Facility Locator.įor 24 hour / seven days per week information and referral, call 1-888-NYC-WELL (1-88).
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