AKA:

Cocaine: COKE, CHARLIE, SNOW. Crack: FREEBASE, ROCKS, BONES, STONES

SOURCE:

Cocaine is derived from the naturally occurring COCA bush, a native species of South America. While the leaves of the bush can simply be chewed, or mashed with lime to form a paste, cocaine undergoes extensive processing in laboratories before reaching the streets.

APPEARANCE:

Cocaine: white crystalline powder; crack: white or off-white pellets, about the size of a raisin. Cocaine is often used with: a mirror, on which a small line of the drug is placed, a razor blade, to finely chop the crystals into powder, and a tube, either a rolled up tube of paper or small metal tube, up which the drug is snorted.

COSTS:

Cocaine is typically sold by weight, crack by the rock. A single rock of crak-cocaine costs between £10 and £20 dependent on weight. A gramme of cocaine costs between £40 and £80.

QUALITY:

While cocaine powder is easily cut with other adulterants, purity tends to be higher than, for example, speed. Crack purity will depend on the strength of the cocaine used and the process used. Some processes do not purify the cocaine and so the crack will be of a similar (or lower) purity than the cocaine from which it was manufactured. If the cocaine has been refined before being turned in to crack then the crack will be of a higher purity. Regardless, crack will inevitably feel stronger due to the route of administration!

METHODS OF USE:

Cocaine can be sniffed, rubbed on the gums, or injected. However, it does not lend itself to being smoked; this is the primary advantage of crack, that it is smokeable. Crack is usually smoked through a pipe; these are typically home made: an empty bottle can be readily converted into a crack pipe. However, some users do dissolve and inject crack.

EFFECTS:

Cocaine is a powerful stimulant; it offers an intense impression of power and control, combined with heightened energy and awareness. It is, in some respects, similar to speed, but offers a more intense and less "harsh" experience. Effects also include increased heart-rate and blood pressure, and pupil dilation. When cocaine is injected or rubbed onto the gums, it causes numbing of the site. Cocaine also alleviates the need for sleep, and acts as a powerful appetite suppressant. Duration of effects depends largely on what is being used and how it is used. Cocaine which is snorted takes longer to act than cocaine injected, but the effects last longer. Crack, on the other hand, takes effect almost immediately when smoked, but the effects wear off rapidly, typically within 15 minutes. This rapid up-and-down encourages users to take the drug again straight away, and can lead to binges, where a user will take rock after rock, postponing the comedown, until they run out of money and drugs.

HEALTH IMPLICATIONS:

With short-term use, cocaine users can experience anxiety, paranoia and disrupted sleep. The suppression of appetite can lead to weight loss, and users will experience exhaustion and fatigue. Crack smokers often experience bronchial problems, exhibited by coughing and black phlegm. Snorting of cocaine can lead to perforation of the septum, and rubbing cocaine into the gums can cause gum disease and cavities. Regular use can cause anxiety, depression and ultimately psychosis. Deaths do occur, predominantly through heart failure or haemorrhages. Cocaine is not thought to be physically addictive. However, the intensely pleasurable high and the less pleasurable comedown can lead to regular and increasingly problematic use. The very rapid high and comedown from crack increases the likelihood of dependency.

LEGAL STATUS:

Cocaine is a Class A, Schedule 2 drug; some derivatives of cocaine are still used as local anaesthetics.

OTHER INFORMATION:

While a much-feared crack invasion has not materialised in this country, crack remains a highly problematic drug. Cocaine has remained widely available, and crack, sold in small-priced units, has acted as a bridge taking cocaine to the masses. Drug services have been slow in creating effective services for people with cocaine, and especially crack-related issues.

Strictly speaking, crack is not a new drug, nor is it a different drug from cocaine. It has been chemically treated to "free it from its base," which allows it to be smoked. "Freebasing" was popular in the sixties, and experienced a renaissance first in the USA and later in the UK.

The processing of cocaine into crack is very simple. It is not true to suggest that crack is cheaper than cocaine. Weight for weight, crack is more expensive than cocaine powder. In addition, smoking crack is a more wasteful method of use. However, its rapid, intense rush and relative cheapness per rock makes it more appealing to new users. This relative cheapness however is offset by the short duration for which the effects last, and the strong compulsion that many users experience to have another rock. Anecdotes are legion in the drugs field of users spending thousands of pounds in binges lasting several days, and of people becoming rapidly involved in crime, dealing or the sex-industry to pay for ther crack.