Crack cocaine is a combination of cocaine hydrochloride and either ammonia or baking soda. Once processed, crack cocaine appears as chunks. The University of Maryland's Center for Substance Abuse Research points out that crack cocaine causes an immediate high, making it the riskiest form of cocaine. While most people smoke crack cocaine, Stephen E. Lankenau et al., authors of the article "Crack Cocaine Injection and Practices and HIV Risk: Findings From New York and Bridgeport," explain that some people inject the drug. Many of crack cocaine's risks affect users' health and can cause serious complications.
Acute Respiratory Problems
The National Drug Intelligence Center notes that crack cocaine users have a risk of developing acute respiratory problems. For example, users can have lung trauma and bleeding. As a result, users can have shortness of breath and regular coughing. The Center for Substance Abuse Research adds that users can develop respiratory failure, in which users do not get enough oxygen.
Contracting Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Sharing needles among drug users can result in serious health problems. The National Institute on Drug Abuse explains that crack cocaine abusers have a high risk of contracting HIV/AIDS by using a needle that an HIV patient also used. The drug needle can contain some contaminated blood from the infected user which gets passed on to the next drug user. Once a person contracts HIV, the virus stays in her system.
Paranoid and Psychotic Behavior
When people use crack cocaine, they can have a dramatic change in behavior. For example, the National Drug Intelligence Center notes that users can develop aggressive and paranoid behavior. When users become aggressive, they might get into fights or become defensive if confronted about their drug use. When paranoid, users may have trouble trusting other people. The Center for Substance Abuse Research adds that users can develop psychosis, in which they have a break with reality. For example, users can have auditory or tactile hallucinations, in which they either hear or feel something non-existent. These paranoid and psychotic behaviors can occur along with mood disturbances, such as severe depression.
Other Health Risks
People who use crack cocaine are at risk for other health problems. The National Drug Intelligence Center explains that the usual risks of crack cocaine use include an increased heart rate, higher blood pressure, increased body temperature and constricted blood vessels. These physical changes raise users' risk of serious health conditions, such as seizures or cardiac arrest. The Center for Substance Abuse Research adds that users also have a risk of reproductive damage and stroke.
References
- National Drug Intelligence Center: Crack Cocaine Fast Facts
- University of Maryland's Center for Substance Abuse Research: Crack Cocaine
- National Institute on Drug Abuse: Cocaine
- "Journal of Drug Issues"; Crack Cocaine Injection Practices and HIV Risk: Findings From New York and Bridgeport; Stephen E. Lankenau, Michael C. Clatts, Ph.D., Lloyd A. Goldsamt and Dorinda L. Welle; April 2004
