Crack is a form of cocaine. Crack cocaine got its name from the crackling noise it makes while being smoked. It is highly addictive. It has been processed into rocks for smoking. Crack is the street name given to cocaine which has been processed from powdered cocaine into a smokable form aka free-basing. Formally known as freebase, crack cocaine is powered cocaine that has been processed with ammonia or sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and water, and heated to remove the hydrochloride. Because crack is smoked, the user experiences a high instantly. In general, the faster the absorption of any drug, the more intense the high is. This rather immediate and euphoric effect is one of the reasons crack has become enormously popular in recent times. Another reason is crack is less expensive both to produce and to buy. Crack cocaine remains a very serious problem in the United States and around the world. Cocaine is a powerfully addictive stimulant drug. The powdered, hydrochloride salt form of cocaine can be snorted or dissolved in water and injected. Crack is cocaine that has not been neutralized by an acid to make the hydrochloride salt. This form of cocaine comes in a rock crystal that can be heated and its vapors smoked. The term "crack" refers to the crackling sound heard when it is heated.
Crack cocaine is a strong central nervous system stimulant that interferes with the reabsorption process of dopamine, a chemical messenger associated with pleasure and movement. The buildup of dopamine causes continuous stimulation of "receiving" neurons, which is associated with the euphoria commonly reported by crack cocaine abusers. Physical effects of crack cocaine use include constricted blood vessels, dilated pupils, and increased temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure. The duration of crack cocaine's immediate euphoric effects, which include hyper stimulation, reduced fatigue, and mental clarity, depends on the route of administration. On the other hand, the faster the absorption, the shorter the duration of action. The high from snorting may last 15 to 30 minutes, while that from smoking may last 5 to 10 minutes. Increased use can reduce the period of time a user feels high and increases the risk of addiction.
Some users of crack cocaine report feelings of restlessness, irritability, and anxiety. A tolerance to the "high" may develop many addicts report that they seek but fail to achieve as much pleasure as they did from their first exposure. Some users will increase their doses to intensify and prolong the euphoric effects. While tolerance to the high can occur, users can also become more sensitive to crack cocaine's anesthetic and convulsant effects without increasing the dose taken. This increased sensitivity may explain some deaths occurring after apparently low doses of crack cocaine. Use of crack cocaine in a binge, during which the drug is taken repeatedly and at increasingly high doses, may lead to a state of increasing irritability, restlessness, and paranoia. Crack cocaine use can result in a period of full-blown paranoid psychosis, in which the user loses touch with reality and experiences auditory hallucinations. Other complications associated with crack cocaine use include disturbances in hearth rhythm and heart attacks, chest pain and respiratory failure, strokes, seizures and headaches, and gastrointestinal complications such as abdominal pain and nausea. Because crack cocaine has a tendency to decrease appetite, many chronic users can become malnourished. Different means of taking cocaine can produce different adverse effects. Regularly smoking of crack cocaine, for example, can lead to hoarseness, chronic coughing and lung cancer. Ingesting cocaine can cause severe bowel gangrene due to reduced blood flow.
Regardless of how cocaine is used or how frequently, a user can experience acute cardiovascular or cerebrovascular emergencies, such as a heart attack or stroke, which could result in sudden death. Cocaine-related deaths are often a result of cardiac arrest or seizure followed by respiratory arrest. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) estimated the number of current crack users to be over 1,000,000 in 2005.