DRUG FACT SHEET
Cocaine and Crack
Using large amounts of cocaine can lead to bizarre, unpredictable, and violent behavior.
Trends and Statistics
During FY 2017, 31 percent of the
federally-sentenced defendants in
the United States had committed a
drug offense. 27 percent of the
drug cases involved powdered or
crack cocaine.
In 2017, 4.8 percent of high
school students in the United
States reported using cocaine at
least once in their lifetime, compared to 7.2 percent a decade
ago and 8.2 percent two decades
ago.
(U.S. Sentencing Commission, FY
2017 Federal Sentencing Statistics;
U.S. Centers for Disease Control
Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 2017)
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, cocaine was used primarily as medicine. The drug was officially banned in 1922. More than 50 years later, a new variation of the substance emerged. This substance, crack, became enormously popular in the mid-1980s due in part to its almost immediate high and that fact that it is inexpensive to produce and buy.
Trends and Statistics
During FY 2017, 31 percent of the
federally-sentenced defendants in
the United States had committed a
drug offense. 27 percent of the
drug cases involved powdered or
crack cocaine.
In 2017, 4.8 percent of high
school students in the United
States reported using cocaine at
least once in their lifetime, compared to 7.2 percent a decade
ago and 8.2 percent two decades
ago.
(U.S. Sentencing Commission, FY
2017 Federal Sentencing Statistics;
U.S. Centers for Disease Control
Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 2017)
Class of drug:
Stimulant
Active ingredient:
Cocaine hydrochloride is extracted from the leaf of the Erythroxylon coca bush. Crack is processed from powdered cocaine (hydrochloride is removed).
What it looks like:
Cocaine: fine crystalline powder
Crack: light brown or beige pellets or crystalline rocks (often packaged in small vials)
How it's used:
Cocaine: sniffed or injected
Crack: smoked
Duration of high:
Cocaine effects appear almost immediately and disappear within a few minutes or hours (depends on route of administration). Crack effects are felt within 10 seconds and disappear within five to 10 minutes (very intense high). It is not uncommon for users to binge on crack to try to sustain the short, but intense high.
Effects:
Physical—increased energy, dilated pupils, increased pulse rate, elevated blood pressure, insomnia, loss of appetite, sudden deathMental—euphoria, tactile hallucinations, large amounts can cause bizarre and violent behavior
Long-term—mood disturbances, paranoia, heart attacks, respiratory failure, heart disease, strokes,
seizures, death
Withdrawal symptoms:
Mood swings/changes, depression, anxiety—unpleasant but not life threatening
Detection in the body:
Three to five days
Sources: American Medical Association, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Drub Abuse Warning Network, National Drug Intelligence Center, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Office of National Drug Policy