What about cocaine?
The crystal is heated to produce vapors that are absorbed into the blood-stream through the lungs. The term “crack” refers to the crackling sound produced by the rock as it is heated. Lots of people think of cocaine as a drug that isn't that bad because it's in the cartoons and people joke about it all the time but it is just as bad for your brain as all the prior drugs. Cocaine is a highly addictive stimulant drug that is made from the leaves of the coca plant native to South America. It can produce short-term euphoria, energy, and talkativeness plus it can also have dangerous physical effects like faster heart rate and increased blood pressure. The powder form of cocaine can be inhaled through the nose (or in high school terms, snorted) where it is absorbed through the nasal tissue or dissolved in water and injected into the blood stream.
Some people think that crack is a completely different drug from cocaine but crack is just a different form of cocaine that has been processed and is in a rock crystal form (also called freebase cocaine). The crystal is heated to make vapors that are absorbed into the blood-stream through the lungs. The length and intensity of the drug's pleasurable effects depend on the way it enters the body. Injecting or smoking is the quickest way to get it into the blood-stream and brain, producing a quicker and stronger but shorter lasting high than snorting the drug. Cocaine is a strong central nervous system stimulant that also increases levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine in brain circuits that control the reward system. Cocaine prevents the dopamine from being recycled, causing excessive amounts to build up in the synapse, or junction between neurons. This amplifies the dopamine signal and disrupts normal brain communication. It is this flood of dopamine that causes cocaine's characteristic high. With repeated use, cocaine can cause long-term cahnges in the brain. Tolerance to cocaine also often develops, which causes many cocaine abusers to report that they seek but fail to achieve as much pleasure as they did from their first exposure. Some users will increase their dose in an attempt to intensify and prolong their high, but this can also increase the risk of adverse psychological effects.
Some people think that crack is a completely different drug from cocaine but crack is just a different form of cocaine that has been processed and is in a rock crystal form (also called freebase cocaine). The crystal is heated to make vapors that are absorbed into the blood-stream through the lungs. The length and intensity of the drug's pleasurable effects depend on the way it enters the body. Injecting or smoking is the quickest way to get it into the blood-stream and brain, producing a quicker and stronger but shorter lasting high than snorting the drug. Cocaine is a strong central nervous system stimulant that also increases levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine in brain circuits that control the reward system. Cocaine prevents the dopamine from being recycled, causing excessive amounts to build up in the synapse, or junction between neurons. This amplifies the dopamine signal and disrupts normal brain communication. It is this flood of dopamine that causes cocaine's characteristic high. With repeated use, cocaine can cause long-term cahnges in the brain. Tolerance to cocaine also often develops, which causes many cocaine abusers to report that they seek but fail to achieve as much pleasure as they did from their first exposure. Some users will increase their dose in an attempt to intensify and prolong their high, but this can also increase the risk of adverse psychological effects.