In the 1970’s, producers of cocaine in South America discovered that the off-white paste developed as a by-product while making cocaine could be smoked to deliver the same ‘high’ as cocaine. I’m not sure what they did with this paste before the 1970’s…apparently it was discarded. Anyway, freebase was born…
Freebase is often mistaken for a different drug entirely but really is just cocaine with a slightly different chemical composition. It has a lower melting point than cocaine so when smoked, the stimulating properties are retained while regular cocaine cannot be smoked.
Freebase became popular as a mix with marijuana and tobacco but never really caught on in the rest of the nation as a popular drug.
Then, in the early 1980’s an overly large supply of regular, snortable cocaine in South Florida reduced prices by 75% so some enterprising dealers realized that solid crystals could be made from cocaine powder rather easily which they marketed.
So… crack was born; another smokable cocaine derivative. Even though created from cocaine it has a slightly different chemical composition from both freebase and cocaine.
Unfortunately the popularity of crack skyrocketed making it a huge problem. It seemed to cause a more intense high and had a compulsive quality to it where smokers would just keep on buying and smoking until they ran out of supply or money.
And it seemed to be more addictive than either freebase or cocaine due to its chemical composition and by smoking instead of snorting, it reached the brain faster. All of these factors helped crack become entrenched in our society and thus a real problem.
Smoking crack causes an intense rush for 10 seconds or so and feelings of euphoria for another 20 minutes immediately replaced by irritability. Because of this crack is almost always used in a binge pattern.
Chronic use can result in asocial behavior, intense cravings, auditory hallucinations, cocaine psychosis, irritability and drug dreams. Crack is a real problem…
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Dobryj den’ sobratu bloggeru. Sorry chto v translite, klava na rabote bez russkix bukv)))
Vot prosmatrivau blogi, kak u drugih obstojat dela so spam-kommentami???
Ko mne uzhe sotnjami za den’ stali valit’, prosto nikakih slov uzhe net po jetomu povodu, prishlos’ voobwe ubrat’ vozmozhnost’ kommentirovanija. Dumal peresazhivat’sja na drugoj dvizhok, tak govorjat chto normal’noj zawity ot spama nigde net.
A vy, hotja by kapchu postav’te, poser’joznee. A to so vremenem tak zavalivat’ nachnut, chto ne razgrebjote potom(((
Hallo bratjam po blogosfere))) Neplohoy proektik vi vedete, respect.
Ne stalkivalis’ li vy s takoj problemoj kak vorovstvo statej??? Ne dumal, ne gadal kak vdrug obnaruzhil sobstvennie stat’i na drugih saitah, i konechno nikakih ssilok na sebja ja ne uvidel. Dazhe ne predstavljaju kak s etim plagiatom mozhno borot’sja. A to ved’ i pod fil’try poiskovikov popast’ nedolgo(((
Thanks for the comments…unfortunately I cannot understand the language. It is Russian, isn’t it? Or Slovenian… Can anyone out there translate?
Yes, Crack Cocaine is a real problem, but it can be overcome. I smoked crack beginning 1989 until 2007 where until 2002, until my arrest for an unrelated matter helped to break the addiction. Programs didn’t work. 12-step meetings didn’t work. Until I turned everything to God, then and only then, was I able to get rid of the addiction which had me leave a 20 year career with IBM, 3 divorces and subsequent homelessness and prison stints for theft. Help is available for those who desire to end this awful addiction.
Roy Martin’s last blog post..Addict’s Devotional
I’m glad you found the way to overcome the addiction. There are many who never rise out of that life but you have overcome something that is extremely hard to beat. And I hope you are sharing your story and your strength with others.
Thanks for the comment!
Substances addiction can be any kind of addiction which in long term use heads to destructiveness mostly in the likes of marijuana, tobacco, heroin, alcohol, ecstasy, inhalants and many more. This addiction is a situation at which person makes himself/herself a slave. Because compulsion reaches, a process where it is sandwiched between the person and his/her substance and which afterward removes the self-sufficiency and the liberty of the person. Because of its distressing effects on the human feelings, activities, and emotion, it makes the person a desperate slave against the substance he/she has chosen.
http://www.addiction-treatments.com/addiction/Substances-/index.html
This awful drug is responsible for the abuse and neglect of children and death of innocent people.
Given its highly addictive nature it is best never to start and never to try this drug which is understandably illegal.
Angela, I agree wholeheartedly. Crack will destroy lives just as any highly addictive drug. Unfortunately, spreading the word about the bad effects will not deter first time users.
We need more governmental intervention in the form of money so prevention campaigns can be funded and created. These, alone, will cause a significant drop in addiction rates.
Although not about crack, the ‘Montana Meth Organization’, a privately funded organization I believe, is extremely effective in preventing first time use of methamphetamine.
We need some concerned citizen or organization to create a similar campaign for crack….