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Here are some of the street and slang names that are sometimes used to refer to crack cocaine;

Candy or rock candy

Base

Ball

Rocks

Nuggets

Grit

Hail

Dice

Sleet

Chemical

Tornado

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Benzoylmethylecgonine

--> This is actually the scientific name for Cocaine, but since Crack Cocaine is only a very slightly different type of cocaine, it is the same.

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It all really started with the “Erythroxylum coca” shrub, a plant found in South America, in the Andes mountain jungles. Before ever being altered into crack cocaine, indigenous tribes had consumed the plant for ages. Initially it was really just a means to survive. It gave energy and strength and was even used for medical purposes during the Inca period. In fact, researchers believe that the word “coca” really only just meant plant to the indigenous populations. The idea of using that plant as a drug was to come later. In fact, it was only during the “cocaine boom” in the 1970s that crack cocaine was first introduced. It was cheaper and easier to produce than powder cocaine, which for many people who lived in big cities, meant this was the drug to take. Even today, with the number of addicts dropping each year, it still remains a big problem being cheaper and more accessible to the public.

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- Schedule II Drug (since it can be used in medical procedures)
- Stimulant

The cocaine itself it a stimulant, and when mixed with baking soda it crystalizes, forming crack cocaine. It is easier to smoke and absorb into the bloodstream, which is part of the reason why a lot of people prefer it over the plant itself.

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The main thing to note about crack cocaine, is that it is pretty cheap to produce, which means it is not as expensive as other drugs. This means that when purchasing drugs, kids may turn to cheaper options such as crack. Crack is extremely addictive, even after a first use, so it is very easy to get addicted to.

However, despite all of this, thankfully not many teens are actually interested in crack cocaine. Infact, the use of crack cocaine or cocaine in general has been decreasing. For example, in 2012 2.9% of teens were using cocaine and in 2015, that percentage dropped down to 2.5%. While that may not be a huge change, the numbers are still definitely dropping. Furthermore, the same study showed that when surveyed, 29% of 12th graders said that it would be “fairly easy” to get some cocaine, and yet most of them don’t. While there may be many other substances that teenagers abuse, crack cocaine is at least not one of the most prominent ones.

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There aren’t really any predominant medical or legal uses for crack cocaine like some might consider marijuana having. However some do claim that crack has anesthetic properties. It has a similar chemical formula as that of lidocaine, which is often used in medical procedures (such as dental work). Sometimes it can also be used as a constrictor to shrink mucous membranes in the upper respiratory section.

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Generally, the user desires to get high and feel an extreme and intense sense of euphoria.

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One strange side effect that can occur when taking crack cocaine is what is called having "Coke Bugs" which essentially is a type of hallucination that makes you feel as if there were bugs crawling into and under your skin.

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“Crack” or “Crack Cocaine” is similar to cocaine, but has been processed in a different way so as to make it easier to be able to absorb into the body. Different to cocaine, crack cocaine is processed through baking soda or ammonia and is in a yellow-white rock/crystal form. It is significantly more potent this way when compared to cocaine. It actually gets its name from the popping and crackling sound it makes when heated! As I mentioned, it is a stimulant and vasoconstrictor. It is often snorted, but can also be smoked and smoking crack can actually cause a person to become dependent on it quicker. While it does cause a very intense high, it does not last very long, or at least not as long as many other drugs. When smoked, crack cocaine can cause a high of about 15 minutes at most, but can sometimes be even as short as 5 min.

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Attias, Bernardo Alexander. "Cocaine/Crack." St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture, edited by Sara Pendergast and Tom Pendergast, vol. 1, St. James Press, 2000, pp. 542-544. Gale Virtual Reference Library, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX3409000522/GVRL?u=lom_inac&sid=GVRL&xid=dbc4c7b9. Accessed 2 Apr. 2019.

“Cocaine Overview : Chemistry.” Methoide, The University of Arizona, methoide.fcm.arizona.edu/infocenter/index.cfm?stid=169.

“Cocaine.” National Center for Biotechnology Information. PubChem Compound Database, U.S. National Library of Medicine, pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/446220.

“Crack Cocaine.” CESAR, University of Maryland, 29 Oct. 2013, www.cesar.umd.edu/cesar/drugs/crack.asp.

Saleh, Naveed. “Is Cocaine More Than Just a Street Drug?” Verywell Mind, 30 Mar. 2019, www.verywellmind.com/does-cocaine-have-any-legit-medical-uses-1124135.

Witmer, Denise. “Learn about Teen Cocaine Use Statistics.” Verywell Mind, 4 Dec. 2017, www.verywellmind.com/cocaine-and-crack-statistics-teen-drug-use-facts-2611119.

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Increased blood pressure and heart rate

Increased rate of breathing

Sense of euphoria

Loss of appetite

Depression

Anxiety

Need for more of the drug

In some cases of overdose - death

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Extreme depression

Aggressive behavior

Stroke

Heart attack

Addiction (even after only one use)

Brain seizures

Respiratory failure

Hallucinations

Sexual dysfunction

Death