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Crack & Cocaine

Quick Facts

  • Know the Law. Cocaine and crack are illegal substances. Depending on where you are caught, you could face a heavy-duty fine and jail time.
  • Get the facts right. Even one hit of crack or cocaine can be fatal.
  • Stay informed. Injecting cocaine can give you hepatitis and AIDS.
  • Be aware of the risks. Using drugs increases you risk of injury. Car crashes, falls, burns, drowning, and suicide are all linked to drug use.
  • Keep your edge. Drug use can ruin your looks, make you depressed, and contribute to slipping grades.
  • Play it safe. One incident of drug use could lead to addiction or even death.
  • Do the smart thing. Using drugs puts your health, education, family ties, and social life at risk.
  • Face your problems. Using drugs won't help you escape your problems, it will only create more.
  • Be a real friend. If you know someone with a drug problem, be a part of the solution. Urge your friend to get help.

Cocaine is a white powder that comes from the leaves of the South American cocoa plant. Cocaine is either "snorted" or injected intravenously. Users call it by a variety of names, including coke, snow, blow, toot, nose candy, flake, and the lady. Cocaine belongs to a class of drugs known as stimulants, which tend to give a temporary illusion of limitless power and energy that leaves the user feeling depressed, edgy, and craving more. Crack is a form of cocaine that has been chemically altered so that it can be smoked. Cocaine and crack are highly addictive. This addiction can erode physical and mental health and can become so strong that these drugs dominate all aspects of an addicts life.

Cocaine and crack use has been a contributing factor in a number of drownings, car crashes, falls, burns, and suicides.

What are the physical risks associated with using any amount of cocaine and crack?

  • Increases in blood pressure, heart rate, breathing rate, and body temperature
  • Heart attacks, strokes, and respiratory failure
  • Hepatitis or AIDS through shared needles
  • Brain seizures
  • Reduction of the body's ability to resist and combat infection

What are the psychological risks?

  • Violent, erratic, or paranoid behavior
  • Hallucinations and "coke bugs" - a sensation of imaginary insects crawling over the skin
  • Confusion, anxiety and depression, loss of interest in food or sex
  • "Cocaine psychosis" - losing touch with reality, loss of interest in friends, family, sports, hobbies, and other activities

Some users spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on cocaine and crack each week and will do anything to support their habit. Many turn to drug selling, prostitution, or other crimes. If you or someone you know has a drug problem, there is help available. Talk to a school counselor, a friend, or a parent, and check additional links from this web site.

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