Crack

Martina Feichter studied biology with an elective subject pharmacy in Innsbruck and also immersed herself in the world of medicinal plants. From there it was not far to other medical topics that still captivate her to this day. She trained as a journalist at the Axel Springer Academy in Hamburg and has been working for since 2007 - first as an editor and since 2012 as a freelance writer.

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Crack is a special form of cocaine use. It can be obtained, for example, by heating the powdery, white cocaine salt (cocaine hydrochloride) with a little water and baking powder until the liquid has evaporated. What remains are white-yellowish crystals of cocaine base - called "crack". The name is derived from the cracking noises that can be heard when the crystals are heated or when they are smoked.

While the white cocaine powder (coke, snow) is sniffed through the nose or dissolved and injected into a vein, crack can be smoked (in pipes). Another smokable variant of cocaine is the so-called "freebase", which is created by a chemical reaction of the cocaine salt with ammonia.

Crack smoking - the consequences

The acute consequences of cocaine consumption in general depend on the form and dose in which it is consumed. The duration of consumption also plays a role. In principle, the faster the cocaine gets into the body, the dangerous it is. Smoking crack does this in seconds (just like injecting cocaine into a vein). That can mean immediate danger to life. The effects of crack are also said to be stronger than those of cocaine itself; it should also make you more (psychologically) dependent - already with the first consumption! Therefore, the drug is classified as highly dangerous.

A typical consequence of crack smoking is damage to the respiratory organs, especially the lungs: the so-called "crack lungs" include a lack of oxygen in the blood and blood spitting.

Anyone who consumes crack or other forms of cocaine for a long time must expect further severe physical, psychological and social changes, including delusional psychosis.

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