What is it?

• Cocaine comes from the leaves of the South American coca plant. The leaves are ground into a white powder or paste.
• Crack is formed by adding baking soda and water, and then 'cooking' the mixture at a high temperature. The high temperatures solidify the mixture into a hardened salt substance.

Street Names: Coke,? snow,? nose candy, blow,? rocks,? toot, white,? flake,? big Lady How is it taken? Cocaine: Inhaled? (powder breathed in through the nasal passages) Injected (mixed with water and injected into the bloodstream) Crack Smoked (crack rocks can be smoked, usually through a special pipe) The Scoop on Cocaine & Crack

• Cocaine and crack are two of the most addictive drugs available. However, their high is very short lived- rarely lasting more than one hour.
• The risk of heart attack or respiratory arrest is extremely high, especially for a first time user. Recently there has been a tremendous drop in the use of cocaine and crack- down about 75% since 1985.

Short Term Effects of Cocaine & Crack:?? (lasts for 10 minutes - one hour)

• Feeling of euphoria, relief of depression and anxiety
• Constricted blood vessels
• Increased heart rate
• Respiratory problems
• High body temperature
• Brain seizures
• Hallucination
• Confusion
• Stroke or heart attack
• Immediate depression at the end of the high (called a crash)

Long Term Effects of Cocaine & Crack:

• Inability to sexually function
• Eating disorders
• Sleep disorders
• Inability to fight infection
• ?Cocaine psychosis? (having no interest in friends, family, work, or hobbies)
• Loss of taste and smell
• Nasal irritation and degeneration (holes in your nose)
• Mental changes, violent behavior

Tolerance:

• Develops rapidly
• Requires greater dosage for the same euphoric feeling

Withdrawal Symptoms:

• Hunger
• Sleepiness
• Depression
• Moodiness

So which one is more harmful? Cocaine or crack? Cocaine and crack are equally dangerous, but each one has unique and specific risks. When cocaine is snorted, it constricts the blood vessels, lengthening the time it takes for the drug to reach the brain. This produces a more gradual and long lasting high (the feeling of euphoria may not be attained for 30 minutes. Injection of cocaine into the blood stream produces an immediate high, and the level of cocaine in the bloodstream is significantly higher than that of one who snorted cocaine. Crack, when smoked, forms a toxic vapor that immediately enters the bloodstream, and forms an equally potent high as injected cocaine. There are other risks too... Cocaine and crack are expensive drugs, often costing a hundred dollars a hit. The cost of cocaine and crack use often leads a user to seek money through their personal savings or possessions, theft, prostitution, or other criminal activities. Injecting cocaine with shared IV needles increases the risk of HIV transmission (remember cocaine use limits the body's ability to fight and resist infection). Are cocaine and crack addictive? Cocaine and crack are not narcotic drugs, so therefore they aren't physically addictive drugs. However, they are powerfully psychologically addictive.

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Sources: 1.?? "Crack Kills", brochure. Skill Builder-Syndistar, Inc. 1997. 2.? Drug Free Resource Net, "Cocaine/Crack", 3.? http://www.drugfreeamerica.org 4.? Tips for Teens About Crack and Cocaine. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 5.? Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration