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What Is Polysubstance Use? Polydrug use involves the consumption of more than one drug at once. Although polysubstance misuse often refers to Misuse of multiple illicit drugs, it’s also inclusive of prescription medications used in nonmedical circumstances. Polysubstance misuse may also be referred to as: polysubstance abuse and polysubstance addiction In some instances, those on […]

What Does Crack Cocaine Look Like? The process of turning cocaine into crack cocaine produces crystals, called “rocks.” These range in color from clear-white or opaque white to off-white or yellow. They vary in size and shape, too. Changes in color may be related to adulterants, including caffeine, sugar, lactose, or other drugs like levamisole, […]

What are Stimulants? Stimulants are a broad class of drug that include prescription medications as well as illicit drugs—all of which increase certain types of central nervous system (CNS) activity by interacting with various neurotransmitters, including dopamine and norepinephrine. This can make individuals feel more alert, energized, and focused.3 However, misuse of certain stimulants—which in […]

What is Crack Cocaine? Crack is a smokable form of cocaine that is made by processing powder cocaine with ammonia or sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and water to form small rock crystals that crackle when heated and the vapors smoked. Smoking and inhaling the vapor or smoke into the lungs produces a faster and more […]

Why is Cocaine Cut? Drug manufacturers and dealers often cut cocaine with other substances to increase their profits by enabling them to sell a higher volume of product.2 The person who purchases cocaine may not be aware that they are buying cocaine cut with other substances.2 This can place them at risk of using substances […]

What is Cocaine? Cocaine is a Schedule II stimulant drug that is highly addictive, dangerous, and illegal.3 Drug dealers often mix cocaine with other substances, called “fillers,” concealing the entirety of the concoction’s ingredients. Dealers sometimes dilute cocaine with fentanyl, a dangerous opioid drug responsible for numerous overdose deaths.4 People can use cocaine in a variety […]

While many factors (such as a person’s environment, their social support system, and whether they use other substances in conjunction with cocaine) play a role in the potential effects of drug use on a mother and her unborn baby, fetal exposure to cocaine is associated with serious health issues, including several types of developmental and […]

What Is Freebasing? Freebase cocaine is essentially the “base” form of the drug–the drug in its solid form. Freebasing cocaine is the process of freeing the cocaine base from the salt form in which cocaine is naturally found. While crack cocaine is produced by mixing the original cocaine with a combination of water and baking […]

What Is Cocaine? Cocaine, also known as “coke,” is a very fast-acting central nervous system stimulant .It is derived from the leaves of the coca plant, native to South America. It comes in several forms, which include: Cocaine hydrochloride: This is the most common form, a fine white powder that is usually snorted or dissolved […]

Smoking crack cocaine produces faster-acting euphoric effects, which is one of the reasons it became popular in the mid-1980s.2 As a result, in 1986, the Anti-Drug Abuse Act differentiated crack from other forms of cocaine, harshening legal consequences for possession and use of the dangerous and illegal substance.2 However, individuals still use it. In 2021, […]