Why Is Cocaine Different Than Crack?
Question by JohnnyBeGood: Why is cocaine different than crack?
you see crackheads and they are simply cracked out! I mean real bad. on street corners from chicago to detroit. why is crack so different than cocaine (the rich man’s drug)?
i’ve never done anything like that before!
Best answer:
Answer by guju001
crack cocaine is a more concentrated form of regular cocaine.
Answer by Johnny Blaze
Cocaine is taken directly from the coca plant native to the Andean highlands in South America and mixed with some chemicals to separate the active chemical from the plant and crystalize the substance into cocaine hydrochloride. Cocaine hydrochloride is not nearly as potent as crack because cocaine hydrochloride needs to be broken down by the user’s body before it can cause a high. Although the onset is fairly quick, within 3-5 minutes, the powder cocaine high lasts typically from 15-30 minutes and the comedown is not a life-altering event.
Crack is free-based cocaine, meaning the hydrochloric acid has been separated from the cocaine, also known as benzoylmethyl ecgonine. This creates a charged chemical which readily binds to chemicals within your body creating a much faster, stronger high because the drug is so readily absorbed and used. The high from smoking crack occurs within 30 seconds to one minute after smoking and only lasts 3-5 minutes. Crackheads are noted for thinking only about the drug, whether high or sober. Cocaine makes users feel important, powerful, and friendly. When coming down, they do not fiend nearly as badly, however the urges are still quite strong.
Essentially, freebase cocaine (crack) has been estimated to be ten times more potent that powder cocaine (cocaine hydrochloride).
Hope this answers your question.
For more information on crack, cocaine, and other psychoactive chemicals please check out the sources below. Respect drugs, do not hate those who chose to live differently than you.