Crack

Forms of Cocaine

Cocaine hydrochloride is a salt form of cocaine that is typically manufactured in powder or solution form. Cocaine hydrochloride is broken down by high temperatures and therefore cannot be smoked. Common routes of administration of cocaine hydrochloride include intranasal (snorting or sniffing) or intravenous (injecting) administration. Crack, or cocaine base, is made by mixing cocaine hydrochloride with an alkaline (basic) solution, such as sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) or ammonia, and heating. This process results in the conversion of cocaine (hydrochloride) powder or solution into cocaine base, which resembles small rocks (i.e., crack rocks) that can be smoked. Another form of cocaine that can be smoked is freebase cocaine. “Freebasing” involves dissolving cocaine hydrochloride in water or a basic solution such as ammonia, and then extracting the cocaine base into an organic solvent such as ether, which is then evaporated to leave a cocaine residue. The process of freebasing is considerably more dangerous than the process of making crack cocaine because the organic solvents that are used in freebasing are typically volatile, flammable, and explosive.

Although cocaine hydrochloride, crack cocaine, and freebase cocaine are different forms of the same drug, there are meaningful differences in the way these different forms of cocaine are acquired and used. Crack is purchased in unit doses that are smaller in amount and less expensive than typical purchases of (powder) cocaine hydrochloride. The smaller amounts increase the likelihood that crack will be purchased more frequently than cocaine hydrochloride, thereby exposing crack users to more legal, financial, and health risks that are associated with illicit drug transactions. The lower price increases the ability of poor individuals to purchase crack compared to cocaine hydrochloride.

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