Cocaine and crack are both stimulants with powerful, but short-lived effects. The big difference is that crack is much stronger and more addictive than cocaine.
ID: Cocaine is also known as coke, charlie, C, white, Percy, snow, toot.

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Appearance and Use

Coke is a white powder that's usually divided into lines on a smooth surface and snorted up the nose with a rolled up tenner or a straw. It can be smoked and is sometimes made into a solution and injected.

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Cost

A gram of coke generally costs between £40 and £60.

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Purity

40 tonnes of cocaine were brought into Britain last year*. Coke is big business. So it's not unusual to find the odd wrap padded out with a bit of sugar, starch or talcum powder. Truth is that some wraps of coke would do a good job of cleaning the bathroom.
*Source: National Criminal Intelligence Service

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Effects

• Taking coke makes users feel on top of the world. It's a bit like speed (amphetamines) but it's stronger and doesn't last as long. People taking it feel wide awake, confident and on top of their game.
  
  
• Coke's a stimulant it raises body temperature, makes the heart beat faster and staves off feelings of hunger.

There is a flip side.

• After a big night on coke it's not unusual for people to feel like they've got the flu.
  
  
• Some people act like they're the greatest... dancer.. lover.. comedian on the planet. Usually they're not.
  
  
• The hit from coke doesn't last long (20-30 minutes).
  
  
• When the effects start to wear off there's a strong temptation to take more.

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Chances of getting hooked

Coke is very addictive. It can be very difficult to resist the craving and strong psychological dependance due to changes in the brain. Recent evidence suggests possible long-term changes to the nervous system.
Although psychological dependance is more of a problem than physical withdrawal symptons, low mood and feeling very rough soon after stopping can also tempt people to take more coke. A habit can be expensive and take over your life.

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Risks

• Crack and cocaine users have died from overdose. High doses can raise the body's temperature, cause convulsions and respiratory arrest. Risk of overdosing increases if crack is mixed with heroin, barbiturates or alcohol.
  
  
• Cocaine is bad news for anybody with high blood pressure or a heart condition. Perfectly fit, young people can have a fit or heart attack after taking too much coke.
  
  
• Those who get into coke often find they begin to crave it more and more.
  
  
• Using it a lot makes people feel depressed and run down.
  
  
• Too much sniffing coke and you're sneezing lumps out of your nose into a hanky.
  
  
• People who use crack or coke regularly often develop serious problems with anxiety and paranoia. It's a known cause of panic attacks.
  
  
• Very large doses can cause death from heart or respiratory problems. You may not know you have a pre-existing heart condition.
  
  
• Large or frequent use of coke tends to knock sexual desire on the head.
  
  
• If there have been previous mental health problems coke could bring those problems to the surface again. If a close relative has had mental health problems there might also be an increased risk in some users.
  
  
• Injecting any drug can cause vein damage, ulcers and gangrene. Dirty or shared needles and other injecting works can help the spread of HIV and hepatitis.
  
  
• It's easier to overdose injecting. Cocaine is a local anaesthetic and it deadens pain at the injection site. This makes it harder for injectors to notice the damage they may be doing.
  
  
• Using alcohol and cocaine together can be deadly.
  
  
• Injecting a mixture of cocaine and heroin, known as a 'Speedball' is one of the most dangerous cocktails you can put in a human body. It is also potentially deadly.
  
  
• Taking coke when you're pregnant can damage your baby. Coke causes miscarriage, premature labour and smaller babies and may cause congenital abnormalities. Babies born to mothers who keep using throughout their pregnancy show withdrawal syndrome.
  

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Crack

Crack is a smokeable form of Cocaine that's made into small lumps or rocks. It's called crack because it makes a crackling sound when it's being burnt. It's a stimulant with short-lived effects and it's properly addictive.
ID: Crack is also known as rocks, wash, stones, pebbles, base, freebase.

Appearance and Use

A rock of crack is about the size of a raisin. It's usually smoked in a pipe, glass tube, plastic bottle or in foil. Most people take it this way and it's known as freebasing. Although it can be injected.

Cost

A rock costs between £12 and £20 although it's sometimes sold cheaper by the slice or as a 'clubbing rock' for about £10.

Purity

Crack is cocaine, baking soda and water.

Effects

• Crack has the same short-lived effects as cocaine but they're much, much stronger.
  
  
• The effects are immediate, peak for about two minutes and last about 10 minutes.
  
  
• Crack makes users feel alive, exhilarated, confident and wide awake. It kills all feelings of pain, tiredness and hunger.

But the flip side is:

• After the 20 minute high comes a long, low crash which can be associated with massive cravings to take more.
  
  
• The high can come with hallucinations, huge mood swings and massive paranoia.
  
  
• Some people get aggressive or violent.
  
  
• The crash makes people feel sick, tired and depressed.
  
  
• Regular users look excited but nervous. Heavy users have trouble sleeping and feel sick quite a lot.
  
  
• Heavy crack users may take heroin to try to dull the cravings, which can increase the risks.

Chances of Getting Hooked

Regular crack users can quickly become physically and psychologically dependant. This is a difficult drug to control.

Risks

• Crack users have died from overdose. High doses can raise the body's temperature, cause convulsions and respiratory arrest. Risk of overdosing increases if crack is mixed with heroin, barbiturates or alcohol.
  
  
• Cocaine in any form can be bad news for anybody with high blood pressure or a heart condition.
  
  
• Smoking crack can cause breathing problems and pains in the chest. Smoking anything damages the lungs.
  
  
• Using a lot can bring on a seizure or a fit.
  
  
• People who use crack and coke regularly often develop serious problems with anxiety and paranoia. It's also a known cause of panic attacks.
  
  
• Very large doses can cause death from heart or respiratory problems.
  
  
• Large or frequent use of crack tends to knock sexual desire on the head.
  
  
• If there have been previous mental health problems crack could bring those problems to the surface again. If a close relative has had mental health problems there might also be an increased risk in some users.
  
  
• Injecting any drug can cause vein damage, ulcers and gangrene. Dirty or shared needles and other injecting works can help the spread of HIV and hepatitis.
  
  
• It's easier to overdose injecting.
  
  
• Taking crack when you're pregnant can damage your baby. Coke causes miscarriage, premature labour and smaller babies and may cause congenital abnormalities. Babies born to mothers who keep using throughout their pregnancy show withdrawal syndrome.
  

The Law

Cocaine and crack are Class A drugs

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