Crack cocaine is identified by its rocky appearance that comes in various shapes and sizes. Its texture is rough, and it smells like plastic or burning rubber when it is smoked. It may also emit an odor that smells like paint, motor oil, or a household solvent.
What Does Crack Cocaine Look Like?
Crack cocaine typically appears as small rock-like or crystalline chunks that vary in size and shape. These rocks are off-white to pale yellow in color, and they are often unevenly textured with a rough surface. Crack cocaine can appear shiny or dull, depending on how it’s processed.
Many of the slang terms for crack are based on its appearance. People may call it hard rock, badrock, or gravel. It’s also known as rock, candy, hail, or nuggets.
This Schedule II drug is made by mixing powdered cocaine with water and ammonia or baking soda. The concoction is then boiled until it turns into a solid. After it is dried, it is broken down into chunks.
This form of cocaine, which is usually smoked, produces a quicker and more intense high than its powdered counterpart.
What Does Crack Cocaine Feel Like?
Crack cocaine has a tough and solid feel to it. When handling it, the substance will not easily break apart or crumble under pressure. In other words, its texture is distinctively harder than other forms of cocaine.
This characteristic is crucial in distinguishing crack from other substances.
What Does Crack Cocaine Smell Like?
Crack cocaine emits a distinct odor due to its chemical composition. When smoked, it produces a strong, acrid smell that some describe as smelling similar to burning rubber or plastic. The unique scent of crack can serve as an indicator in determining substance abuse.
The drug may also emit an odor that smells like gas, paint, motor oil, solvents, nail remover, or nail polish.
You can only smell the drug when it’s heated or lit. Otherwise, the smell is hard to detect.
Identifying Crack Cocaine Paraphernalia
Various tools are used to smoke crack cocaine or prepare it.
Pipes, Bongs & Homemade Smoking Devices
One of the most common paraphernalia items used for smoking crack is a glass pipe, which is small and designed specifically for crack use.
Pipes often have a spherical or cylindrical end where crack is placed and heated, known as the bowl. This is connected to the mouthpiece via a glass tube. A crack pipe is usually about four to six inches long. The user places the crack cocaine in the bowl, inhaling the smoke through the mouthpiece.
The pipe may also feature a small hole in the middle of the pipe’s stem. This hole regulates the airflow when the user smokes.
Glass pipes or bongs (water pipes) are preferred as glass does not get too hot, thereby making it easier to smoke the substance.
In some cases, users may create makeshift smoking devices from household items like soda cans, glass bottles, or aluminum foil.
One popular homemade device for smoking crack is a light bulb. The user removes the bulb’s inner workings and lights the outside glass.
Screens
Other materials, such as steel wool or copper mesh, are used as screens in crack pipes. Using steel wool can be dangerous, as it can burn the lips or mouth. With deeper inhalation, it can harm the respiratory tract. Screens are snugly fit into the stem so the user can inhale the vapor.
Makeshift screens from faucet aerators are also used as smoking screens.
Wooden Push Sticks
People who smoke crack may use push sticks to position the screen or filter inside a crack pipe. After smoking the drug, the user uses the push stick to move the filter to recover the crack that has accumulated and hardened on the pipe’s inside wall.
Push sticks made of wood are safer than metal push sticks like nails or paper clips, as they won’t damage the pipe or cause it to break.
Torch Lighters & Butane Burners
Crack cocaine requires high heat in order to be smoked effectively, which means that specialized lighters or burners are frequently used.
Torch lighters or butane burners produce more intense flames compared to standard lighters, allowing for faster and more efficient heating of the drug.
Scales & Measuring Tools
For those involved in making or selling crack cocaine, precision scales are necessary for weighing the drug to determine its potency or price.
Identifying Fake Cocaine
Identifying crack laced with harmful substances can be a life-saving skill. Harmful additives like fentanyl and other synthetic opioids are increasingly being found in illicit drugs like crack cocaine. These additives make the use of crack even more dangerous, as their presence increases the likelihood of overdose.
Remember that any use of crack is incredibly dangerous. Even if crack is “pure,” it’s a very harmful substance that could be deadly.
Still, it’s important to know how to identify crack that may be laced with other harmful adulterants, such as fentanyl. Here are some tips:
Look for Changes in Color or Texture
Crack that has been laced with harmful substances may appear different from regular crack. It may be a different color or texture, and it may show visible particles or specks.
If you notice anything out of the ordinary, it’s best to err on the side of caution and assume that the drug has been adulterated.
Use a Drug Testing Kit
Drug testing kits can be a helpful tool in identifying crack that has been laced with dangerous substances. These kits, which are relatively inexpensive and easy to use, can give you an idea of what you’re dealing with.
Crack cocaine can be cut with agents to dilute the product. Some of the agents used to increase the supply and boost profits include household products like talc, laundry detergent, or baking powder.
It may also be cut with another substance so the user gets a more intense high. Caffeine, amphetamines, methamphetamine, heroin, or fentanyl may be used. In these cases, it’s more accurate to say the product has been laced.
Lab tests or strips tests are designed to identify damaging adulterants like fentanyl, ephedrine, levamisole, or phenacetin, all of which are frequently added to crack cocaine.
Levamisole is an antiparasitic agent that may produce unwanted neurological and allergic side effects. If it is used regularly, the outcome can be fatal. Phenacetin is known for its carcinogenic and nephrotoxicity potential.
The Way to Stay Safe
Most drug testing kits instruct you to use a small sample of the drug for testing. This isn’t a foolproof method. It’s possible that your supply will test negative for fentanyl because the sample you used didn’t have it, but it was present elsewhere in your batch.
The only way to stay safe and avoid an overdose is to avoid use of crack cocaine. If you’ve been abusing the drug, help is available. With comprehensive addiction treatment, you can begin to build a new life in recovery — one that is free from the damage that crack cocaine use can do to virtually every area of life.
Dr. Alison Tarlow is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in the States of Florida and Pennsylvania, and a Certified Addictions Professional (CAP). She has been a practicing psychologist for over 15 years. Sh... Read More
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