Now that you know your loved one is doing drugs and he or she says, “It's just a little coke,” you may wonder what that really means. One is a powder, the other a “rock.” The term crack-head refers to someone who is addicted to crack cocaine. The nickname “Crack” describes the cracking or popping sound that happens when it is heated for use. There are several primary differences between the powder and rock forms of cocaine.
Description
Regular cocaine comes in a white powder. It almost resembles powder laundry detergent. If you blow on it with just a little force it will fly into the air the same way that ashes do. Crack is not a powder. When you buy crack you are buying tiny white or beige rocks. It resembles small pieces of ceiling stucco, or small hard pebbles. Crack cocaine is powder cocaine combined with water and baking soda then allowed to harden before it is broken into little rocks.
Cost
Powder cocaine is often referred to as the “rich-man's drug.” It is expensive, which leads to a false sense of superiority, or the distorted thinking that it's not really a bad drug. Crack is much less expensive which means more people can buy and use it. Both are cocaine. Crack is cheaper because it’s always processed with other substances.
Use
Powder cocaine is either snorted into the nose or it is mixed with water and injected into a vein. Crack cocaine is heated and smoked in a pipe-like device. Crack is popular besides it’s relatively cheap and easy to use.
History
Powder cocaine has been used for many years and is considered one of the oldest available drugs in America. It was available in the 1880s and Americans were snorting it by 1900. By 1914, the government put a ban on its use due to its addictive qualities. Crack didn't start its street climb until the 1980s.
The Hit
Crack cocaine hits the brain approximately 10 seconds after smoking it. The snorted powder form takes about 15 minutes to do the same.
Both drugs are damaging to the health of the human body.