Crack Cocaine, Freebase Cocaine
NJ Crack Cocaine Drug Defense Attorneys, Serving all of New Jersey including the counties of Middlesex, Mercer, Union, Ocean, and Monmouth
Drug Information About Crack/Freebase Cocaine
Street names: Rock, cookie, k
Drug Classification: Cocaine is a Schedule II drug under the Controlled Substances Act since it has high abuse potential but also carries a medicinal purpose. Under the DEA listing of schedule I substances, crack is not considered separate from cocaine since they are essentially the same drug compound in different forms.
General Information
Freebase cocaine is cocaine that has been mixed with other chemicals to make it easier to smoke and to make it vaporize at lower temperatures. Users often feel the effects of crack before exhaling, and it is known to have a quicker onset than snorting its powder form.
While powder cocaine can be smoked, this is a very inefficient method of use. When smoked, powder cocaine tends to burn rather than vaporize, wasting a great deal of the product. Powder cocaine is thus mixed with other chemicals to create freebase cocaine or “crack” that vaporizes at lower temperatures. Smoking crack cocaine creates a faster onset and a more powerful effect than powder cocaine, but the product is always mixed with some unknown and potentially toxic chemical and the effects create much greater addiction problems.
Crack is also created so that drug dealers can make more money from less cocaine. Cutting it with other chemicals allows them to extend their supply for a longer period of time, but creates dangers for users that can result in death from overdose or from the toxic effects of the adulterants. Heavy smoking of freebase cocaine can also cause a variety of lung problems in addition to difficulty breathing.
Sources:
- www.erowid.org – Basic Drug Information About Cocaine
- www.emcdda.europa.eu – About Cocaine
- www.erow4.org – Cocaine Dangers and Abuse
- www.justice.gov – DEA Cocaine Information
- www.id.org/chemicals/cocaine/cocaine_effects.shtml – Side Effects of Cocaine Abuse