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48-615: The appearance of crack cocaine , the June 19, 1986, death of Len Bias (University of Maryland basketball star), the morning after he signed with the NBA champions Boston Celtics , and the June 27, 1986, death of Don Rogers (Cleveland Browns, 1985 Defensive Rookie of the Year) — both from cocaine use, encouraged Speaker of the House of Representatives and Democratic congressman Tip O'Neill to mobilize

96-660: A mandatory minimum sentence of five years without parole for possession of five grams of crack; to receive the same sentence with powder cocaine one had to have 500 grams. This sentencing disparity was reduced from 100-to-1 to 18-to-1 by the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010. In the United Kingdom, crack is a Class A drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 . In the Netherlands it is a List 1 drug of

144-543: A recreational drug in primarily impoverished neighborhoods in New York City , Philadelphia , Baltimore , Washington, D.C. , Los Angeles , San Francisco , and Miami in late 1984 and 1985; this rapid increase in use and availability was named the " crack epidemic ", which began to wane in the 1990s. The use of another highly addictive stimulant drug, crystal meth , ballooned between 1994 and 2004. Purer forms of crack resemble off-white, jagged-edged "rocks" of

192-653: A $ 1000–2000 fine and/or six months to a year imprisonment. In the United States, cocaine is a Schedule II drug under the Controlled Substances Act , indicating that it has a high abuse potential but also carries a medicinal purpose. Under the Controlled Substances Act, crack and cocaine are considered the same drug. The Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 increased penalties for crack cocaine possession and usage. It mandated

240-555: A base (such as baking soda ) to form the free base cocaine. The free base of cocaine forms a solid "rock", pieces of which can be smoked directly ( crack cocaine ). The smoking of cocaine base first appeared in the United States in 1974 and was mostly confined to the state of California. The first hospital admission for a problem related to free-basing was in 1975, the year in which extraction kits and smoking accessories became commercially available. In 1978, distribution of these accessories or paraphernalia spread from California throughout

288-432: A hard, brittle plastic, with a slightly higher density than candle wax. Like cocaine in other forms, crack rock acts as a local anesthetic , numbing the tongue or mouth only where directly placed. Purer forms of crack will sink in water and melt at the edges when near a flame (crack vaporizes at 90 °C, 194 °F). Crack cocaine sold on the streets may be adulterated (or "cut") with other substances mimicking

336-485: A person might binge for 3 or more days without sleep, while inhaling hits from a pipe. Use of cocaine in a binge, during which the drug is taken repeatedly and at increasingly high doses, leads to a state of increasing irritability, restlessness, and paranoia . This may result in total paranoid psychosis , in which the individual loses touch with reality and experiences auditory hallucinations. Large amounts of crack cocaine (several hundred milligrams or more) intensify

384-425: A reversible acid-base reaction. The heating accelerates the degradation of carbonic acid into carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and water. Loss of CO 2 prevents the reaction from reversing back to cocaine hydrochloride. Free base cocaine separates as an oily layer, floating on the top of the now leftover aqueous phase. It is at this point that the oil is picked up rapidly, usually with a pin or long thin object. This pulls

432-659: A significant disparity in the sentences imposed for crimes involving powder cocaine versus crack cocaine, with the ratio of 100 to 1. For example, a drug crime involving 5 grams of crack cocaine resulted in a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years in federal prison, while crimes involving 500 grams of powder cocaine received the same sentence. After the Anti-Drug Abuse Act, the number of black people sent to federal prison skyrocketed from approximately 50 in 100,000 adults to approximately 250 in 100,000 adults. During that same period of mass increase in black prison rates, there

480-537: A stroke, irreversible brain damage, or a heart attack. An appreciable tolerance to cocaine's high may develop, with many addicts reporting that they seek but fail to achieve as much pleasure as they did from their first experience. Some users will frequently increase their doses to intensify and prolong the euphoric effects. While tolerance to the high can occur, users might also become more sensitive ( drug sensitization ) to cocaine's local anesthetic (painkilling) and convulsant (seizure-inducing) effects, without increasing

528-465: Is a more efficient method of self-administering alkaloids via the smoking route. Some alkaloids are more stable as ionic salts than as free base. The salts usually exhibit greater water solubility. Common counterions include chloride , bromide , sulfate , phosphate , nitrate , acetate , oxalate , citrate , and tartrate . Ammonium salts formed from the acid–base reaction with hydrochloric acid are known as hydrochlorides . For example, compare

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576-533: Is absorbed into the blood stream and rapidly transported throughout the body. However, since blood is buffered with carbonate at physiological pH (near 7.4), free-base amines will be rapidly converted back into their acid form. In fact, 94.19% of cocaine will exist as the acid form under equilibrium at pH=7.4, calculated using the Henderson–Hasselbalch equation assuming a pKa of 8.61. A small portion (5.81%) of cocaine will remain as free-base and pass through

624-445: Is commonly used as a recreational drug. Effects of crack cocaine include euphoria , supreme confidence, loss of appetite, insomnia , alertness , increased energy, a craving for more cocaine, and potential paranoia (ending after use). Its initial effect is to release a large amount of dopamine , a brain chemical inducing feelings of euphoria. The high usually lasts from five to ten minutes, after which time dopamine levels in

672-402: Is frequently purchased already in rock form, although it is not uncommon for some users to "wash up" or "cook" powder cocaine into crack themselves. This process is frequently done with baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), water, and a spoon. Once mixed and heated, the bicarbonate reacts with the hydrochloride of the powder cocaine, forming free base cocaine and carbonic acid (H 2 CO 3 ) in

720-417: Is much more addictive when smoked must be reexamined." They argued that cocaine users who are already prone to abuse are most likely to "move toward a more efficient mode of ingestion" (that is, smoking). The intense desire to recapture the initial high is what is so addictive for many users. On the other hand, Reinarman et al. wrote that the nature of crack addiction depends on the social context in which it

768-402: Is only slightly soluble in water (1 in 600 of water) as compared to the high solubility of cocaine hydrochloride (1 in 0.5 of water). The free base form of cocaine is prepared from cocaine hydrochloride by extracting the cocaine with an alkaline solution ( sodium hydroxide or ammonia ) and adding a non-polar solvent such as diethyl ether or benzene . The mixture separates into two layers,

816-400: Is used and the psychological characteristics of users, pointing out that many heavy crack users can go for days or weeks without using the drug. A typical response among users is to have another hit of the drug; however, the levels of dopamine in the brain take a long time to replenish themselves, and each hit taken in rapid succession leads to progressively less intense highs. Nonetheless,

864-687: The Change in Bank Control Act , and the Right to Financial Privacy Act Along with the Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1984 , the act substantially increased the number of drug offenses with mandatory minimum sentences. This act mandated a minimum sentence of 5 years without parole for possession of 5 grams of crack cocaine while it mandated the same for possession of 500 grams of powder cocaine. This 100:1 disparity

912-486: The Controlled Drugs and Substances Act , crack is not differentiated from cocaine and other coca products. However, the court may weigh the socio-economic factors of crack usage in sentencing. As a guideline, Schedule I drugs carry a maximum seven-year prison sentence for possession for an indictable offense and up to life imprisonment for trafficking and production. A summary conviction on possession carries

960-552: The Opium Law . Rob Ford , the 64th mayor of Toronto , was filmed smoking crack while he was in office. Marion Barry , Mayor of Washington D.C. , was filmed smoking crack in 1990 in a sting operation. Free base Free base ( freebase , free-base ) is a descriptor for the neutral form of an amine commonly used in reference to illicit drugs. The amine is often an alkaloid , such as nicotine , cocaine , morphine , and ephedrine , or derivatives thereof. Freebasing

1008-482: The United States ) crack falls under the same category as cocaine . In Australia, crack falls under the same category as cocaine, which is listed as a Schedule 8 controlled drug , indicating that any substances and preparations for therapeutic use under this category have a high potential for abuse and addiction. It is permitted for some medical use but is otherwise outlawed. As a Schedule I substance under

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1056-478: The House Democratic leadership to assemble an omnibus anti-drug bill that became the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986. The congressional interest and intense news coverage created a moral panic surrounding cocaine use, which had earlier been viewed in a more benign or even positive way, that made enacting this legislation so important. In September and October 1986, the House (with a Democratic majority) and

1104-531: The Senate (with a Republican majority) competed over which could propose the most severe laws in advance of the pivotal midterm election. The bill was signed into law by Reagan on October 27. The Money Laundering Control Act of 1986 was enacted as Title I of the Anti-Drug Abuse Act. This title criminalized money laundering for the first time in the United States. It also amended the Bank Secrecy Act ,

1152-557: The United States. In 1979, only 1% of cocaine-related hospital admissions involved the use of free base, but by 1982 this figure had increased to 7%. In South America, coca leaves are traditionally chewed with a quantity of an alkaline lime substance ("llipta") typically derived from the ashes remaining after burning plants, shells or limestone. In South America, coca paste , also known as cocaine base or basuco and, therefore, often confused with cocaine freebase in North America,

1200-462: The affected people believe they have, or feel, parasites crawling under their skin (similar delusions may also be associated with high fever or in connection with alcohol withdrawal , sometimes accompanied by visual hallucinations of insects—see delirium tremens ). People experiencing these hallucinations might scratch themselves to the extent of serious skin damage and bleeding, especially when they are delirious. Paranoia and anxiety are among

1248-444: The appearance of crack to increase bulk. Use of toxic adulterants such as levamisole , a drug used to treat parasitic worm infections, has been documented. Sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO 3 , common baking soda) is a base used in the preparation of crack, although other weak bases may substitute for it. The net reaction when using sodium bicarbonate is With ammonium bicarbonate : With ammonium carbonate : Crack cocaine

1296-674: The baby to grow poorly. As a result, cocaine-exposed babies are more likely than unexposed babies to be born with low birth weight (less than 5.5 lb or 2.5 kg). Low-birthweight babies are 20 times more likely to die in their first month of life than normal-weight babies, and face an increased risk of lifelong disabilities such as mental retardation and cerebral palsy. Cocaine-exposed babies also tend to have smaller heads, which generally reflect smaller brains. Some studies suggest that cocaine-exposed babies are at increased risk of birth defects, including urinary tract defects and, possibly, heart defects. Cocaine also may cause an unborn baby to have

1344-625: The blood stream, and reaches the brain in eight seconds. Crack cocaine can also be injected intravenously with the same effect as powder cocaine. However, whereas powder cocaine dissolves in water, crack must be dissolved in an acidic solution such as lemon juice (containing citric acid ) or white vinegar (containing acetic acid ), a process that effectively reverses the original conversion of powder cocaine to crack. Harm reduction and public health agencies may distribute packets of citric acid or ascorbic acid (vitamin C) for this purpose. Crack cocaine

1392-499: The blood-brain barrier; according to Le Chatelier's principle the acid form of cocaine will be continually converted to free-base as the base form is continually removed across the blood-brain barrier. Extraction kits for converting the hydrochloride to the base are commercially available. Freebasing also tends to remove water-soluble impurities and adulterants such as sugars ( lactose , sucrose , glucose , mannitol , inositol ), which are often added to street cocaine. Cocaine freebase

1440-581: The brain plummet, leaving the user feeling depressed and low. When (powder) cocaine is dissolved and injected , the absorption into the bloodstream is at least as rapid as the absorption of the drug which occurs when crack cocaine is smoked, and similar euphoria may be experienced. The short-term physiological effects of cocaine include constricted blood vessels, dilated pupils , and increased temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure. Some users of cocaine report feelings of restlessness, irritability, and anxiety. In rare instances, sudden death can occur on

1488-410: The dose taken; this increased sensitivity may explain some deaths occurring after apparent low doses of cocaine. Crack cocaine is popularly thought to be the most addictive form of cocaine. However, this claim has been contested: Morgan and Zimmer wrote that available data indicated that "smoking cocaine by itself does not increase markedly the likelihood of dependence ... The claim that cocaine

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1536-475: The first use of cocaine or unexpectedly thereafter. Cocaine-related deaths are often a result of cardiac arrest or seizures followed by respiratory arrest. Like other forms of cocaine, smoking crack can increase heart rate and blood pressure, leading to long-term cardiovascular problems. Some research suggests that smoking crack or free base cocaine has additional health risks compared to other methods of taking cocaine. Many of these issues relate specifically to

1584-410: The free base hydroxylamine (NH 2 OH) with the salt hydroxylamine hydrochloride (NH 3 OH Cl ). Cocaine hydrochloride ("powder cocaine") cannot be smoked as it decomposes at the high temperatures produced by smoking. Free base cocaine, on the other hand, has a melting point of 98°C and is volatile at temperatures above 90°C, and is therefore actively smokable. After inhalation the alkaloid

1632-1037: The ghost ; cavvy ; chemical ; chewies ; cloud ; cloud nine ; crills ; crunch and munch ; dip ; famous dimes ; fan ; fish scale ; fries ; fry ; glo ; golfball ; gravel ; grit ; hail ; hamburger helper ; hard ; hubba ; ice cube ; kangaroo ; kibbles and bits ; kibbles ; krills ; lightem ; paste ; patico ; pebbles ; pee wee ; pony ; raw ; ready ; ready rocks ; redi rocks ; roca ; rock ; rooster ; rox ; Roxanne ; scud ; Scotty ; scramble ; scruples ; seven-up ; sleet ; snowballs ; stones ; teeth ; tension ; top gun ; tweak ; ultimate ; wash ; white cloud ; work ; yahoo ; yale ; yay ; yayoo ; yeah-O ; yeyo ; yeo ; and yuck . Crack cocaine may be combined with amphetamine ("croak"); tobacco ("coolie"); marijuana ("buddha"; "caviar"; "chronic"; "cocoa puffs"; "fry daddy"; "gimmie"; "gremmie"; "juice"; "primo"; "torpedo"; "turbo"; "woolie"; "woola"); heroin ("moon rock"); and phencyclidine ("clicker"; "p-funk"; "spacebase"). Crack smoking ("hitting

1680-405: The lungs (pulmonary edema) , interstitial pneumonia , diffuse alveolar hemorrhage , and eosinophil infiltration. Stimulant drug abuse (particularly amphetamine and cocaine) can lead to delusional parasitosis (aka Ekbom's Syndrome: a mistaken belief they are infested with parasites). For example, excessive cocaine use can lead to formication , nicknamed "cocaine bugs" or "coke bugs", where

1728-573: The most common psychological symptoms of crack cocaine use. Psychosis is more closely associated with smoking crack cocaine than intranasal and intravenous use. Crack baby is a term for a child born to a mother who used crack cocaine during her pregnancy. The threat that cocaine use during pregnancy poses to the fetus is now considered exaggerated. Studies show that prenatal cocaine exposure (independent of other effects such as, for example, alcohol, tobacco, or physical environment) has no appreciable effect on childhood growth and development. However,

1776-491: The official opinion of the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the United States warns about health risks while cautioning against stereotyping: Many recall that "crack babies", or babies born to mothers who used crack cocaine while pregnant, were at one time written off by many as a lost generation. They were predicted to suffer from severe, irreversible damage, including reduced intelligence and social skills. It

1824-404: The oil up and spins it, allowing air to set and dry the oil, and allows the maker to roll the oil into the rock-like shape. Crack vaporizes near temperature 90 °C (194 °F), much lower than the cocaine hydrochloride melting point of 190 °C (374 °F). Whereas cocaine hydrochloride cannot be smoked (burns with no effect), crack cocaine when smoked allows for quick absorption into

1872-610: The pipe"; "puffing"; "beaming up (to Scotty)") is commonly performed with utensils such as pipes ("bowl"; "devil's dick"; "glass dick"; "horn"; "Uzi"); improvised pipes made from a plastic bottle ("Masarati"); water pipes ("bong"; "hubbly-bubbly"); and laboratory pipettes ("demo"). Cocaine is listed as a Schedule I drug in the United Nations 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs , making it illegal for non-state-sanctioned production, manufacture, export, import, distribution, trade, use and possession. In most states (except in

1920-460: The release of methylecgonidine and its effect on the heart, lungs, and liver. Crack cocaine causes DNA damage in multiple organs of rats and mice. In crack users, acute respiratory symptoms have been reported, sometimes termed "crack lung". Symptoms include fever, coughing up blood and difficulty breathing. In the 48-hour period after use, people with these symptoms have also had associated radiographic findings on chest X-ray of fluid in

1968-707: The substance abuse treatment federal block grant program, although treatment providers were disappointed at the reduced appropriations following politicians' earlier promises and authorization. Other programs funded by the act included drug counseling and education programs, AIDS research , and international cooperation to limit drug production. The Act also included the Drug Free Schools and Communities Act , which required colleges to establish drug abuse education and prevention programs. The law led to an increase in average time imprisoned for drug crimes from 22 months to 33 months. The Anti-Drug Abuse Act created

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2016-470: The threat of breastfeeding : The March of Dimes said "it is likely that cocaine will reach the baby through breast milk," and advises the following regarding cocaine use during pregnancy: Cocaine use during pregnancy can affect a pregnant woman and her unborn baby in many ways. During the early months of pregnancy, it may increase the risk of miscarriage. Later in pregnancy, it can trigger preterm labor (labor that occurs before 37 weeks of pregnancy) or cause

2064-442: The top solvent layer containing the dissolved cocaine. The solvent is then evaporated leaving almost pure cocaine crystals, white and crumbly like feta cheese . Alternatively, the free base can be obtained using an organic chemistry technique called trituration . Trituration of the free base from cocaine hydrochloride (or "cooking") is done by dissolving the cocaine hydrochloride in water over constant heat, while simultaneously adding

2112-453: The use and sale of virtually the same drug as their affluent, white counterparts. Crack cocaine Crack cocaine , commonly known simply as crack , and also known as rock , is a free base form of the stimulant cocaine that can be smoked . Crack offers a short, intense high to smokers. The Manual of Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment calls it the most addictive form of cocaine. Crack cocaine first saw widespread use as

2160-459: The user's high, but may also lead to bizarre, erratic, and violent behavior. Large amounts can induce tremors, vertigo , muscle twitches, paranoia , or, with repeated doses, a toxic reaction closely resembling amphetamine poisoning. Synonyms used to refer to crack cocaine include atari ; base ; bazooka ; beamers ; beemers ; bebe ; bee-bee ; berry ; bing ; bolo ; bomb ; boulder ; boulders ; butter ; caine ; cane ; Casper ; Casper

2208-517: Was almost no change in the number of white people incarcerated in federal prison. This also led to an increased disparity in prison sentencing lengths between races: prior to the enactment of the Anti-Drug Abuse Act, black people received sentences for drug-related crimes which were 11% longer than sentences received by whites who committed the same offense; this increased to 49% in the following years. This disparity led to major racial and class imbalances, where minorities faced far harsher punishments for

2256-565: Was later found that this was a gross exaggeration. However, the fact that most of these children appear normal should not be over-interpreted as indicating that there is no cause for concern. Using sophisticated technologies, scientists are now finding that exposure to cocaine during fetal development may lead to subtle, yet significant, later deficits in some children, including deficits in some aspects of cognitive performance, information-processing, and attention to tasks—abilities that are important for success in school. There are also warnings about

2304-473: Was reduced to 18:1, when crack was increased to 28 grams (1 ounce) by the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010. The law also banned the operation of venues intended for use of illegal drugs, a provision known as the "Crackhouse Law". It was amended in the RAVE Act of 2003. The act authorized billions of dollars of spending, although substantially less was actually appropriated . Some of this was used to increase

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