We have all heard the phrase crack kills, that is an understatement.
What is crack? According to Webster’s dictionary it is “a potent form of cocaine that is obtained by treating the hydrochloride of cocaine with sodium bicarbonate to create small chips used illicitly usually for smoking”. According to Wikipedia, the definition of Crack crack cocaine is the freebase form of cocaine that can be smoked or shot up. It may also be termed rock, work, hard, iron, cavvy, base, or just crack; . “Iit is said to be the most addictive form of cocaine, although this has been contested” (Wikipedia.com). Crack rocks smoked offer a short, but intense high and appeared primarily in impoverished inner city neighborhoods, and started making a showing in the mid-80s” during the mid-1980s .
According to a recent publication from Narconon about facts on Crackcrack, this is what they had to say: “Tthe chemical cocaine hydrochloride is commonly known as crack. Some users chemically process cocaine in order to remove the hydrochloride. This process is called "’freebasing’" and makes the drug more potent. ‘"Crack’" is a solid form of freebased cocaine. It is called ‘"crack’" because it snaps and cracks when heated and smoked ”.
Since crack is a prepared form of freebased cocaine, the user does not have to buy the equipment or be exposed to the explosive chemicals associated with freebasing. Crack is most often packaged in vials or plastic bags and sold in small quantities, usually 300-500mg or enough for two to three inhalations.
In the 1970s, cocaine was expensive and considered a "status" drug. The introduction of inexpensive crack increased the accessibility of this substance, and crack has become the drug of choice for many users, especially for inner...
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...rom a user except with dealers it is all about making that easy buck. I am not really sure how I could apply this to my particular field of interest other than knowing more of the dangers of crack users and what to look for, but however a drug is a drug and many side effects from crack can and are applied to other drugs, with crack it is more progressive. After reading the material and doing some research it heightens my awareness. The one thing can be applied is having the knowledge that there are agencies or organizations like Narconon that can help addicts obtain support in breaking the habit that can be passed on to clients.
Works Cited
The NARCONON Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation 02/22/2014
Drug information/drug abuse. (2010-2014). Retrieved from www.Narconon.org
WebMD 02/22/2014
Goldberg, J. (2005-2014). Mental health center. Retrieved from www.webmd.com
Addiction is one of the hardest problems to overcome, yet people often find some reward in abusing drugs. We all ask the question to what makes a person an addict, or why is it so hard for drug addicts to kick a drug problem. However, can we say that getting a hold of drugs is much easier in today’s society, or is it made available to easy. In this day and age, heroine seems to be a major epidemic; furthermore, opiates have been around for centuries. Therefore, people have been battling addiction for as long as opiates have been around. In Drugstore Cowboy, the film takes a look in to the life of four people who rob drugstores in order to support their habit; however, this lifestyle
“Just Say No!” A statement that takes us deep into yet another decade in the history of the United States which was excited by controversies, social issues, and drug abuse. The topic of this statement is fueled by the growing abuse of cocaine in the mid 1980s. I shall discuss the effects of the crack cocaine epidemic of the mid 1980s from a cultural and social stand point because on that decade this country moved to the rhythms and the pace of this uncanny drug. Cocaine took its told on American society by in the 1980s; it ravaged with every social group, race, class, etc. It reigned over the United States without any prejudices. Crack cocaine was the way into urban society, because of its affordability in contrast to the powdered form. In society the minorities were the ones most affected by the growing excess of crime and drug abuse, especially African Americans; so the question was “Why was nearly everybody convicted in California federal court of crack cocaine trafficking black?” (Webb: Day 3). The growing hysteria brought forth many questions which might seem to have concrete answers, but the fact of the matter is they are all but conspiracy in the end, even though it does not take away the ambiguity and doubt. I will take on only a few topics from the vast array of events and effects this period in time had tended to. Where and who this epidemic seemed to affect more notably, and perhaps how the drugs came about such territories and people. What actions this countries authority took to restore moral sanity, and how it affected people gender wise.
Cocaine is a classified ‘Schedule II’ drug, also known as “crack”, and “coke” it is a powerful drug, and addictive stimulant well known as a psychoactive substance. That comes from a plant called coca leaf that has been around since the mid-1800s and throughout the 20th century. “In the mid-1980s, addiction to the drug was seen as exaggerated or dismissed as psychological and not addiction” (Miller, Gold, Smith, 1997, p.62). In the past, cocaine’s original use was for medical purposes as local anesthetic for surgeries. Now its usage is illegal and this drug is immersed into the body through various ways. However,...
Let’s talk about how fair these laws are. Many say that these laws are used to profile African Americans and inner-city minorities primarily by the sentencing difference in rock and powder cocaine. There is a difference in the two forms and how they’re sold. Cocaine can be bought and sold as powder or rocks, also known as crack or crack cocaine. The effects of each are essentially the same. People will get the same effects with powder as w...
Cocaine (C17H21NO4) comes from the leaf of an Erythroxylon coca bush. It is a drug that effects the central nervous system. It causes feelings of euphoria, pleasure, increased energy and alertness. People under the influence of cocaine often do not feel the need for food or sleep. They also feel energetic and may talk a lot. However, depending on factors such as environment, dosage, and the manner in which the drug is taken, cocaine can have adverse effects such as violent, erratic behavior, dizziness, paranoia, insomnia, convulsions, and heart failure to name a few. Long- term effects of cocaine include, but are not limited to strokes, heart attacks, seizures, loss of memory, and decrease in learning capability (1).
The Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 [the Act] was enacted for several reasons. One of the provisions of the act was to introduce mandatory minimum sentences for individuals who are convicted of possessing a particular amount of crack cocaine and powder cocaine. Individuals convicted with possession of 5 grams of crack would receive a mandatory minimum of 5 years in prison. Individuals convicted with possession of 500 grams of powder cocaine would receive the same 5 year mandatory minimum sentence. This ultimately means that an individual would need to be in possession of 100 times the amount of powder cocaine than that of crack cocaine to receive the same sentence. Congress justified this 100-to-1 sentencing disparity by stressing the serious social harms with which crack use was associated. Although crack and powder cocaine are the same chemical substance, crack sells more cheaply on the street and can be smoked, this induces a briefer, more intense intoxicating effect (Brown, 2004).
An example of this would be a first time offender who violated a federal drug law of possession of crack cocaine with 5 grams or more with a mandatory sentence of five years in prison (Ingle, 2015). A first time offender would have to possess 500 grams or more of powder cocaine to get a sentence equivalent of crack cocaine. This means a person would have to possess almost a pound of powder cocaine to get sentenced to five years.
Many people avoid the use of crack because of the harmful chemicals used in creating the drug. One of the reasons why crack became popular is because of not needing to inject the drug hence less risks of being infected by the AIDS virus. Carroll (2000) states cocaine is the most powerful stimulant of natural origin. Most users snort or inject the drug to enable a quicker “high.” Cocaine use brings on many health problems.
the left of a pair of crystals that are a mirror image of each other.
A prime example of how economic and social inequalities impact drug use and general societal perception of drug users is the way crack users in the Hill District are treated and perceived as opposed to their wealthier cocaine-using counterparts in greater Pittsburgh. Both cocaine and crack are derived from the same source, the coca plant, and both have very similar pharmacology. The main difference between the drugs is that crack is the freebased form of cocaine which makes it smokeable and much cheaper, due to the freebasing agent still being present in the final product. The freebasing agent adds bulk to the product, allowing small amounts of pure cocaine to be made into large amounts of crack. The other main difference between these drugs is the price; pure cocaine is much more expensive than crack, making cocaine a drug for the rich and crack a drug for the poor. The impact of this disparity is frequently seen in treatment of crack users from the Hill District who are often perceived and treated as criminals; whereas the cocaine users in greater Pittsburgh, are more likely to be perceived and treated as ‘chemically dependent’ individuals who need to be sent away to fancy rehab facilities to receive treatment. Their crack using counterparts are, as statistics show, more frequently sent to prison (Kushner, 2010). This difference in the way that crack users are treated and perceived by the general society clearly shows the structural inequality associated with the use of drugs. Another disproportionate impact that drug use has on the Hill District is the slum-like and chaotic atmosphere surrounding the drug culture. The Hill District is well known as a destination where one can engage in drug associated risky behaviors including commercial sex. This concentration of risky behaviors in a single neighborhood
Drugs are used to escape the real and move into the surreal world of one’s own imaginations, where the pain is gone and one believes one can be happy. People look on their life, their world, their own reality, and feel sickened by the uncaringly blunt vision. Those too weak to stand up to this hard life seek their escape. They believe this escape may be found in chemicals that can alter the mind, placing a delusional peace in the place of their own depression: “Euphoric, narcotic, pleasantly halucinant,” (52). They do this with alcohol, acid, crack, cocaine, heroine, opium, even marijuana for the commoner economy. These people would rather hide behind the haze than deal with real problems. “...A gramme is better than a damn.” (55).
Drug abuse has been a hot topic for our society due to how stimulants interfere with health, prosperity, and the lives of others in all nations. All drugs have the potential to be misapplied, whether obtained by prescription, over the counter, or illegally. Drug abuse is a despicable disease that affects many helpless people. Majority of those who are beset with this disease go untreated due to health insurance companies who neglect and discriminate this issue. As an outcome of missed opportunities of treatments, abusers become homeless, very ill, or even worst, death.
2. Cocaine is derived from the leaves of the cocoa plant and is then further processed to produce the common street drug.
Office of the National Drug Control Policy. "National Survey on Drug Use and Health." May 2008. Print. 26 March 2014.
The use of drugs is a controversial topic in society today. In general, addicts show a direct link between taking drugs and suffering from their effects. People abuse drugs for a wide variety of reasons. In most cases, the use of drugs will serve a type of purpose or will give some kind of reward. These reasons for use will differ with different kinds of drugs. Various reasons for using the substance can be pain relief, depression, anxiety and weariness, acceptance into a peer group, religion, and much more. Although reasons for using may vary for each individual, it is known by all that consequences of the abuse do exist. It is only further down the line when the effects of using can be seen.