Difference Between Crack and Cocaine
Some of the most insane sets of drugs are chemical ones. They have intense highs, wild crashes, and the most addicting properties that get people hooked. One of the most sought after drugs in the market is cocaine, and this powdery substance is fueling tensions between the USA and South America alone. Remnants of Pablo Escobar’s cartel that supplied billions of dollars worth of cocaine and problems still rages on today.
With the rise in various types of drugs riddling the market, it has caused tons of problems in the American healthcare and justice systems. One thing that can get quite complex when it comes to illicit substances is the similarities of drugs that overlap. Today, the topic of discussion is the differences between crack and cocaine and some fast facts on both.
These two drugs are similar and are often confused as a single drug. Crack actually originates from cocaine, which is likely the root of the confusion. As uppers, these aggravate a person’s cardiovascular system and pumps blood faster with a rush of dopamine into the brain. This rush is why people who use stimulants feel a rush of energy that makes them feel unstoppable or invincible.
Crack vs Cocaine
Knowing the similarities between the two, the main differences between crack and cocaine come in six areas. These six are categorized under the market price, popularity of use, history, time to effect, addiction and fatality risks, and the purity of the product. Crack, crack cocaine, and cocaine are all very different, with the middle kind being the most impure.
- Market Price
Crack is typically cheaper on the market due to the potential for its impurity. At the same time, cocaine can be more expensive due to the supply and demand and its difficulties of importing. Cocaine needs to be imported from South America due to the coca plant’s ecosystem requiring the tropical setting to grow.
- Popularity of Use
Crack is often viewed as a dirty drug, making cocaine even more popular amongst partygoers and similar subcultures. The United States has an intense love for cocaine, and the substance is often viewed as the largest problem that partly triggered the drug war.
- Historical Background
The coca plant, which has its roots in antiquity, is responsible for making cocaine and part of crack. It dates back to the B.C. era, but the creation of cocaine and crack became very popular in the 1980s during the run of Pablo Escobar.
- Effect Timer
Since crack cocaine has plenty of other chemicals integrated into it, the high kicks in faster and longer. Meanwhile, cocaine typically has a shorter effect and fades out much quicker.
- Addiction and Other Risks
Crack is perceived to be more dangerous due to its fast-acting high, which causes a faster and more addictive high than cocaine.
- Purity
As mentioned above, cocaine is a pure substance, and crack is made with more chemicals. Creating cocaine is more strenuous and requires coca leaves that only grow in the South America region.
Crack Cocaine: What is Crack
Main difference between crack and cocaine is their appearance. Many wonder, what does crack look like? Crack cocaine comes in the form of crystals compared to cocaine’s powdery texture. These come in blocks or in small crystals that have a pale white or rose color. The name of crack cocaine comes from the sounds the crystals make when heated up and smoked, and can come in a potent form that has a strength that overpowers cocaine.
Smoking crack takes the high directly to the brain and delivers an intense, short-lived high that lasts for around 15 minutes. Addiction is more prevalent in those that smoke crack cocaine and crack compared to snorting it through the nose. The first time can be when the habit develops, making it extremely deadly as a substance.
Cocaine is extremely expensive due to the difficulty of importing it and the laws of supply and demand. As it is incredibly illegal, it is difficult to access this drug at good prices, which is why it is dubbed as the “rich man’s drug.” Crack can be extremely cheap, depending on the location you find yourself in, which is why getting hooked is easy and deadly.
Crack Addict
There are plenty of crack cocaine addiction signs that include the typical symptoms that any addict might have for other substances. Some of the crack cocaine addiction symptoms come in the form of intense withdrawals due to the development of dependence. The surge in euphoria caused by dopamine is a fantastic feeling, and the brain feels every single tingle, which causes a constant search for the high.
Withdrawals are caused by habitual use and damages to the natural production of dopamine. Without the drug, crack cocaine addiction signs will show increased heart rates, muscle spasms, heavy sweating, convulsions, and even negative feelings and emotions. Eventually, these bleed into the high and cause extreme anxiety and paranoia.
Smoking Crack
As discussed above, short-term crack cocaine side effects are shorter periods of being high that follow heightened feelings of paranoia, depression, edginess, and even suicidal tendencies. The crash after taking drugs can be the worst feeling, depending on the degree of addiction, and the stimulant nature of crack cocaine can cause heart rate spikes that might be fatal. Crack cocaine can induce seizures, breathing failures, and heart attacks depending on the amount used in one sitting.
The long-term effect of crack cocaine addiction is almost always death. Many heavy crack users do not live very long, as the drug is chemically created and damages plenty of organs in the process. Smoking crack can cause lung damage due to the chemical nature and crystal shards, causing asphyxiation and internal bleeding. Other organs like the heart, liver, and kidneys also suffer from sleep deprivation, starvation, and intense paranoia.
Crack Withdrawal
This drug is potent, and despite its short high, it can get people hooked in an instant. The first time is often the moment a person falls in love with the high, and the moment they go deeper into the drug is where it all goes south. Crack cocaine withdrawal symptoms were discussed above, and the most significant ones are paranoia and other extremely unpleasant feelings. The drug is an upper, which means it spikes the brain with dopamine that feels extremely good. Once a person gets addicted, the degree of addiction has corresponding levels of unpleasant sensations.
Withdrawals shortly follow the crash. When the high fades away, it creates this insatiable need for the substance, and the feeling can last up to ten weeks if a person is deeply hooked. “Extinction” is a term to describe the instances when a crack cocaine user receives triggers from the environment around. Many people who go through rehab treatment will likely experience intense withdrawal symptoms, which warrants a good week or two of detox work to cleanse their systems.
Crack cocaine is a dangerous drug and has ruined plenty of lives altogether. What starts as the next step in substance exploration can quickly ruin relationships, damage finances, affect working life, and ultimately lead to death. Staying away from crack cocaine is an ideal move to make, as even the first puff can be the end of everything.
Sources:
https://www.justice.gov/archive/ndic/pubs3/3978/
https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?contenttypeid=1&contentid=2600