Crack Cocaine is a powerful and highly addictive stimulant drug. A freebase form of cocaine; it can be snorted, smoked or dissolved in water and then injected. Crack is the street name given to the form of free-base cocaine that has been processed to make a rock crystal, which, when heated, produces vapors that are smoked. The term “crack” refers to the crackling sound made when the impurities are heated.
Chemistry of Crack
Crack is the freebase form of cocaine. Cocaine commonly refers to the hydrochloride salt form. The reader interested in chemical data on crack should refer to the cocaine article, where the data about "freebase" are relevant to crack.
The dangers of Crack
Prolonged use of smoking Crack Cocaine can cause an acute pulmonary condition known colloquially as 'Crack Lung'. This causes a number of problems such as constriction of blood vessels in the lungs causing inflammation and other problems. The use of Crack can cause your immune system to weaken leaving you open to infections as such pneumonia and causes prolonged healing of wounds. Many speculate this could be due to the adulterant commonly used to cut Cocaine with known as Levamisole.
A common side effect of Crack use is constriction of blood vessels and this causes to cardiovascular system. The constriction of arteries increase your risk of develop high blood pressure, stroke, heart attacks and cardiac arrest. If you suspect you or someone else is having a heart attack or stroke then phone an ambulance immediately.
Legal status of Crack
United Nations
Cocaine is listed as a Schedule I drug in the 1961 United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, making it illegal for non-state-sanctioned production, manufacture, export, import, distribution, trade, use or possession.
USA
In the United States cocaine is a Schedule II drug under the Controlled Substance Act (CSA) since it has high abuse potential but also carries a medicinal purpose. For legal purposes, crack is not distinguished from cocaine under this act, as it is essentially the same drug compound manufactured in a different way.