What is crack?

Former Member

Now, i am always confused about this, so i thought i'd come on here and ask the experts so i finally know the answer.

When i was younger, some people i know claimed that smoking charlie was how you did crack, then i got more into drugs, and some claimed that it was bullshit, crack was a purer form of charlie, so different.

Then i was talking to this guy on sunday, who said the fact i'd smoked charlie obviously means i've in fact done crack, as smoking it made it pure.

Je suis tres confused, help.

Former Member

Theres two different types.

Crack is a smokeable form of freebase cocaine. It is much purer and more concentrated than soluble cocaine, and the body absorbs it at a faster rate.

src: http://www.thesite.org/youthnet/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=163&a=209

Cocaine is a white flaky powder obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. It is odourless, soluble, and has powerful stimulant properties similar to those of amphetamines.

The most common method of taking cocaine involves sniffing or snorting a small amount (usually called a 'line') up the nose through a small tube. The drug is then absorbed into the blood via the nasal membrane. Cocaine can also be heated and the fumes inhaled. In soluble form, cocaine can be injected.

src: http://www.thesite.org/youthnet/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=163&a=208

Jaded

A browse through the Erowid information on cocaine and crack may help clear things up a bit. TheSite has some info as well.

Former Member

Crack is the smokeable form of cocaine. You can smoke powder cocaine (cocaine hydrochloride), but it is very wasteful. It is far better to freebase it (i.e. free the cocaine from the hydrochloride base) if you want to smoke it.
Freebasing originated in the US in the 60's as a way of testing the purity of the cocaine .If you take 1g, remove the base (and other impurities) and are left with 0.6g then your coke was 60% pure. This used to be done with ether. Some people realised that you could smoke this freebase for a purer quicker hit. Freebasing with ether is notoriously dangerous as ether is extremely flammable (think Richard Pryor and his "accident").
Washing coke into crack is a safer way of doing it, by using sodium bicarbonate or ammonia. This removes the hydrochloride base leaving a smokeable rock of cocaine. This doesn't remove all possible impurities.

Former Member

there is a crack in everything ... that's how the light gets in ...

Former Member

Originally posted by J
:banghead:

did that do your head in mate?

Former Member

Originally posted by morrocan roll
there is a crack in everything ... that's how the light gets in ...

well put, last weekend i finally found the 'crack' in using amphetamines, hasnt put me off though... no no no