Crack Cocaine Addiction

As with all addictions, increased tolerance requires increased amounts of drugs to maintain the same effects. Many cocaine users will progress to crack cocaine and become addicted as it is a more efficient way to use cocaine. It takes 8 seconds for crack cocaine to take effect after it has been smoked. This is considerably quicker than powder cocaine, which takes 10 to 15 minutes. Crack is a purer, more potent form of cocaine and creates a powerful urge to use more. The general consensus is crack cocaine is one of the most addictive drugs available. Crack cocaine is made by mixing powder cocaine with bicarbonate soda and heated over a spoon (this process is known as being ‘washed up’). This procedure creates oil; this is mixed with air and rubbed to create a stone. The stone is then smoked in a crack pipe or broken down with citric acid to create a solution which can be injected.