When heated and mixed with baking soda, cocaine forms into crystalline rocks. This reaction produces a distinct cracking sound, which is how crack cocaine got its name. Also known as “rock,” crack cocaine can be smoked, producing an intense, short-lived high.
Crack’s effects on users and their communities are well known. A crack high can produce euphoria along with paranoia, aggression, and hallucinations. Because it’s smoked, crack damages the lungs. This results in asthma-like symptoms and other problems such as “crack lung.”
Crack cocaine is extremely addictive as well. The instant powerful high it produces, along with its short duration, reinforces addictive behaviors much more rapidly than cocaine.
