Crack :: essays research papers

Cocaine Base (Crack Cocaine) As mentioned above, powder cocaine cannot be smoked unless chemically altered using the dangerous freebasing technique. Late summer of 1985, New York City drug dealers put an end to the need for freebasing powder cocaine. These same drug entrepreneurs would revolutionize the sale of cocaine and bring terror to the streets of America. The exact inventor of crack cocaine is unknown, but the lasting effects of their discovery is well documented. The benefits of cocaine base (crack) for the drug dealers have only been surpassed by the problems it has created for society in general. In many ways crack is the perfect drug. As we will see, crack cocaine was a stroke of marketing genius. Powder cocaine is messy and hard to handle, crack however is a hard [Image] rock-like substance easy to handle and conceal. Powder cocaine has to be inhaled or injected. Inhaling cocaine creates a variety of sinus and nasal problems. Inhaling also takes longer for the drug to take affect. Injecting powder cocaine to get a better and faster high became very unpopular with advent of the A.I.D.S. crisis. Powder cocaine is frequently cut or mixed with a variety of substances in order to raise profit mar- gins of drug dealers. This has made purchasing powder cocaine more hazardous for the drug abuser as they cannot be sure of the content of the drug they are buying. Finally, freebasing was thought too dangerous a prospect for most cocaine users. Crack cocaine overcame all these detractors to cocaine usage. Crack cocaine is easily manufactured from powder cocaine without dangerous solvents, using common household ingredients. Crack is smokeable, creating an intense and immediate high. There is no need for needles, nor is there the damage to nasal and sinus passages associated with "snorting" cocaine. Crack is nearly pure cocaine. Dosages of crack are smaller, meaning there is no need for diluting the cocaine with various substances. Because of the smaller dosages, crack is more profitable for the dealer. The smaller dosage units also mean it is cheaper for the user to purchase a small amount and get high. The cheaper price per unit also makes it available to broader