In the words of music legend Whitney Houston 'Crack is Whack'.
But with all the extra attention lately, thanks to Toronto Mayor Rob Ford - what exactly is
crack-cocaine?
Is it really as 'whack' as it's portrayed to be?
Crack is simply another form of cocaine, which comes from the leaves of a coca plant.
After mixing powdered cocaine with a weak base, such as baking soda, it changes composition
and a solid is produced, often referred to as 'rocks'.
This solid has a much lower melting point than cocaine (90C vs 190C) allowing it to
be smoked, as opposed to snorted.
In fact, it's called 'crack' because of the sound it makes when heated.
But why smoke it?
Well, the lungs are an extremely quick and effective way of getting something into the
bloodstream.
Those with asthma, for example, use inhalers to quickly put a drug directly into their
system.
When smoke meets the large surface area in your lungs, it too slips right through the
membrane, and heads straight to your brain, in as little as 8 seconds.
This is much faster and more intense than the effects of snorted cocaine which generally
takes around 10 minutes to reach the brain.
However, once in the brain, crack and cocaine are effectively identical.
Initially, users feel energized, alert and much more aware of their senses.
In the brain, crack acts on the Ventral Tegmental Area, releasing large amounts of dopamine
- the chemical often associated with feelings of pleasure and euphoria.
This dopamine travels between brain cells - called neurons - and binds to receptors
that trigger the good feelings.
Now, normally, this dopamine would be reabsorbed back into the neuron by a dopamine transporter;
however, crack alters this process.
It attaches to the transporter, and blocks the reabsorption, allowing dopamine to build
up and continually stimulate the receptors.
As a result, you feel - well - really good for around 10 minutes.
But soon after, the dopamine levels in the brain plummet, causing an extreme low and
often feelings of depression.
Which is why many users typically smoke more, hoping to reach that high again.
Unfortunately, these dopamine levels can take a long time to naturally replenish, contributing
to physical and psychological dependence or addiction, as well as increased irritability,
restlessness and paranoia.
In some cases, crack or cocaine abuse can lead to something called Delusional Parasitosis
- the feeling that bugs or insects are crawling under the skin.
This often leads to self-destructive behaviour, like scratching or biting, in an effort to
get rid of the imagined bugs.
In the most serious cases, crack's impact on the heart can cause heart attacks, strokes,
or even stop the heart altogether, leading to death.
Simply put, on the extreme end of things, crack can get pretty whack!
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