Cocaine and crack have completely different reputations. Cocaine is the drug of choice for business men and rich people. Kids in clubs do coke. It’s a party drug of the elite and of pretty people. Crack, on the other hand, is a street drug, used by poor people in urban settings. There has never been a media outcry for a cocaine epidemic, but crack sure got people frightened.
Are those stereotypes the only difference between crack and cocaine? There have to be root causes for why each is depicted differently. Yes. There are core differences and these have lead the two to have their present statuses. However, for people with an addiction, both can be quite dangerous.
In the following discussion, crack and cocaine will be compared. Their relative make-ups and power will be discussed, as will the effect their reputations have on usage.
CocaineThe Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA) informs the reader of basic cocaine facts. The powerful stimulant is:
Why do people use cocaine? Users are driven by the pleasures of the drug’s early stages:
As cocaine addiction users continue, they develop tolerance: their body begins to compensate for the presence of cocaine and more is needed to experience the same effects. With dependence or addiction comes withdrawal. The symptoms of withdrawal include:
As more and more cocaine is used over a longer period of time, users experience increasingly negative reactions. Chronic use could trigger stimulant psychosis.
Similar to amphetamine psychosis, cocaine psychosis triggers hallucinations and delusions that are very similar to the behaviors of schizophrenics. An article on Medscape reports more than half of cocaine users declare they have had psychotic symptoms at some point in their drug use. Symptoms may be temporary, but continued chronic use will increase their severity and duration.
CrackMade from cocaine, crack is a free base smokable form of the drug. Producers alter its chemical make up by cooking it with other elements, typically baking soda, until is takes the form of small sold crystals or blocks, called crack rocks. The rocks vary in color: pale pink, yellow, or white. Named for the cracking sound produced when it is heated, crack is smoked through a metal or glass pipe.
Why do people use crack? Users are driven by the pleasures of the relatively short lived—5 to 10 minute—high, which some describe as a combination of a marijuana and a cocaine high. When the high is over, the feel good chemicals in the user’s brain, called dopamine, triggering depression and an intense craving for more crack.
Like cocaine, users may develop both tolerance and a dependence or addiction that trigger withdrawal symptoms.
Unlike cocaine, users face specific dangers due to the substances added to the cocaine in order to make the catch have increased volume and weight. As mentioned earlier, typically baking powder is used however, additives may include:
Like the additives themselves, the amounts added varies. This can lead to overdose, as users may find themselves with a purer batch without being prepared. In addition, as crack is smoked, users face a score of respiratory risks.
Use ComparisonThe paranoia surrounding the crack epidemic has led young people to fear its use, something that is not the case with cocaine. The2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Trends in Prevalence of Various Drugs demonstrates this pattern.
Among participants age 12-17:
Among participants age 18-25:
Among participants age 26 and older:
Given how much more affordable and available crack is, it is surprising that cocaine would be used at four times the rate of crack. Cocaine is clearly the more widely used and this should be attributed to its reputation.
As crack is a variant of cocaine, the two certainly share some commonalities, but crack clearly has its own dangers and status.
Are those stereotypes the only difference between crack and cocaine? There have to be root causes for why each is depicted differently. Yes. There are core differences and these have lead the two to have their present statuses. However, for people with an addiction, both can be quite dangerous.
In the following discussion, crack and cocaine will be compared. Their relative make-ups and power will be discussed, as will the effect their reputations have on usage.
CocaineThe Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA) informs the reader of basic cocaine facts. The powerful stimulant is:
- Made from the leaves of the South American coca plant
- Takes the form of small, unevenly shaped hunks of a whitish solid
- Taken either by adding water to it and injecting it, snorting it, or smoking it
- Functions as both a central nervous system stimulant and a local painkilling agent; no other drug has both effects
Why do people use cocaine? Users are driven by the pleasures of the drug’s early stages:
- Enhanced confidence
- Mental alertness
- Sexual arousal
- Increased energy
- General euphoria
As cocaine addiction users continue, they develop tolerance: their body begins to compensate for the presence of cocaine and more is needed to experience the same effects. With dependence or addiction comes withdrawal. The symptoms of withdrawal include:
- Insomnia
- Agitation
- Anxiety
- Irritability
- Restlessness
As more and more cocaine is used over a longer period of time, users experience increasingly negative reactions. Chronic use could trigger stimulant psychosis.
Similar to amphetamine psychosis, cocaine psychosis triggers hallucinations and delusions that are very similar to the behaviors of schizophrenics. An article on Medscape reports more than half of cocaine users declare they have had psychotic symptoms at some point in their drug use. Symptoms may be temporary, but continued chronic use will increase their severity and duration.
CrackMade from cocaine, crack is a free base smokable form of the drug. Producers alter its chemical make up by cooking it with other elements, typically baking soda, until is takes the form of small sold crystals or blocks, called crack rocks. The rocks vary in color: pale pink, yellow, or white. Named for the cracking sound produced when it is heated, crack is smoked through a metal or glass pipe.
Why do people use crack? Users are driven by the pleasures of the relatively short lived—5 to 10 minute—high, which some describe as a combination of a marijuana and a cocaine high. When the high is over, the feel good chemicals in the user’s brain, called dopamine, triggering depression and an intense craving for more crack.
Like cocaine, users may develop both tolerance and a dependence or addiction that trigger withdrawal symptoms.
Unlike cocaine, users face specific dangers due to the substances added to the cocaine in order to make the catch have increased volume and weight. As mentioned earlier, typically baking powder is used however, additives may include:
- Sugar
- Milk Powder
- Caffeine
- Sugars
- Benzocaine
- Lidocaine
- Amphetamine
- Paracetamol
- Strychnine
Like the additives themselves, the amounts added varies. This can lead to overdose, as users may find themselves with a purer batch without being prepared. In addition, as crack is smoked, users face a score of respiratory risks.
Use ComparisonThe paranoia surrounding the crack epidemic has led young people to fear its use, something that is not the case with cocaine. The2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Trends in Prevalence of Various Drugs demonstrates this pattern.
Among participants age 12-17:
- 0.90 percent had used cocaine in their lifetime
- 0.10 percent had used crack cocaine in their lifetime
Among participants age 18-25:
- 11.10 percent had used cocaine in their lifetime
- 1.60 percent had used crack cocaine in their lifetime
Among participants age 26 and older:
- 17.10 percent had used cocaine in their lifetime
- 4.30 percent had used crack cocaine in their lifetime
Given how much more affordable and available crack is, it is surprising that cocaine would be used at four times the rate of crack. Cocaine is clearly the more widely used and this should be attributed to its reputation.
As crack is a variant of cocaine, the two certainly share some commonalities, but crack clearly has its own dangers and status.