Is crack really worse than cocaine?

It is more addictive, at least, because of the route of administration.
It reaches the brain more quickly and suddenly, giving more of a “rush”, which is craved.

Isn’t “crack” just the street name for cocaine?
Sorry for not really knowing my drugs, here.

They’re both bad.

yes,yes, and yes!

Well why is it? I like what The_Idler said, but it still dosn’t make it worse for you, just more psychologically addicting.

Yes I dont smoke either!!!! I just want to know.

That’s what my grandmother used to say..

I think coke is worse, snorting fucks your nasal passages to shit, and I hear it can actually damage your lungs.

Neither is good, though SWIM does prefer powder to rock.

“Cocaine is a powerfully addictive stimulant drug. The powdered hydrochloride salt form of cocaine can be snorted or dissolved in water and then injected. Crack is the street name given to the form of cocaine that has been processed to make a rock crystal, which, when heated, produces vapors that are smoked. The term “crack” refers to the crackling sound produced by the rock as it is heated. ”
http://www.drugabuse.gov/InfoFacts/cocaine.html

That explains the difference in name. I don’t know why is worse for you. I would assume smoking it like crack would be worse.

Well, in terms of prison sentences crack is much worse than cocaine.

You don’t want to find out….I watched the guy whose house I bought with $50,000 cash down payment smoke $40,000 of it in less than 3 months all the money was gone. He was a screaming mess.

Crack is much worse for your lungs than coke.

I don’t know that this is something you can quantify in terms of “worse” because there are so many variables. Worse on your wallet? Worse on your complexion? Worse in terms of the strength of the grip of the addiction? What are you asking? Would it not also depend on the purity of the drug, in either form? So you smoke crack and snort coke. But in terms of damage to your body, how would you decide which was worse? How long does it take to burn a hole through your septum? How much smoke can your lungs withstand? Your heart takes a pounding regardless, does it not? You see, before you can ask such a question and expect a logically quantifiable answer, you have to narrow down the variables and decide which is the most pertinent.

I agree with @The_Idler. The route of administration makes the drug more potent, increasing the potential for addiction.

I can tell you from personal experience of trying things I should not:

I did an occasional line of coke in the 80s. It was nice. That was it. I had no urge to run out and get more and I, in fact, never purchased any.

I was talked into taking a hit on a crack pipe in the late 90’s. It scared me half to death and I realized everything they said about it was right. I handed it back to my friend, wide eyed, and said “never again.” The friend and I parted ways over the crack shortly because it turned him into someone I did not know, did not like, and did not trust.

The bikers I associated with who did occasional coke did it… occasionally. The friend I lost to crack was because crack became his life.

Both the coke in the 80’s and that one hit of crack in the 90’s was from top end drugs.

So, personal experience said crack is more addictive than coke. I do not have an addictive personality but I can tell you that I knew that had I done much more than that one hit, I would have been hooked.

Crack is extremely more addicting.
After trying it it simply seems ridiculous to use your cocaine any other way.
1 hit hits your brain in 2 or less seconds, but the feeling lasts a minute or less, sending you back for more and more.
The rush is much more extreme.
A line of cocaine is holding hands, crack is an orgasm.

A line of cocaine is a nail in your coffin, crack is a bullet in your head.

I believe that despite @The_Idler‘s good point, that there is a ceiling effect here, where distinguishing which is worse is a moot point.

Using either regularly will seriously harm you and may ultimately kill you. You end up supporting an extensive hierarchy of frequently violent and murderous people involved in organized crime.

Just don’t – not even once. The personal and social cost is too high IMHO.

Crack has been purified, and is much more addictive, and much worse for you.

As many others have mentioned, crack cocaine vapors are absorbed through the lung tissue much faster than cocaine powder is absorbed in your nose. For that reason ,you get high faster and it is much more intense. But what you have to take in consideration is the crash afterwards is much worse from crack than from cocaine. Because of this, it takes over your brain and takes over your life as you look for anything that will get you out of that feeling. After repeated cocaine use (crack worse than powder) you burn out your brain’s neural pathways associated with pleasure (dopamine) so that you permanently make it impossible to feel as good as you used to previously in life. Check out: “http://www.nida.nih.gov/Infofacts/cocaine.html”

They are both very addictive psychoactive chemicals so therefore they are both as bad as each other in the long term!

@FlutherMe “Well why is it? I like what The_Idler said, but it still dosn’t make it worse for you, just more psychologically addicting.”

This will probably shock a lot of people, but most drugs are not bad for you in themselves. If you take one dose of anything, and stop there, never taking another, nothing that people use for recreation (as opposed to as poisons) will not be harmful.

Harmful effects from drugs accumulate when the drug is addictive, because the addiction is what leads to you use it more than what your body and mind can tolerate. Hence, what makes drugs worse for you is the addiction. And unfortunately, most people are not able to know beforehand what will be and what will not be addictive used in this or that amount. If they did, I don’t think most alcoholics would have ever tasted their first glass.

Uh…what’s crack cocaine then?

@belakyre I think it’s a modified cocaine. But I don’t know.

What I don’t understand is how anyone could ever, ever take that first hit.

@belakyre Crack cocaine is the full name for crack. Crack is a form of cocaine.

Crack cocaine is a rock like or crystal of cocaine that has been heated up with baking soda and water. Some people will obtain cocaine and literally cook it on their stoves, to make crack. It’s more intense of a hit that way, I’ve done it a few times and I don’t really care for it.

@Anon_Jihad Please don’t do it any more.

I prefer coke ma’am. But all humor aside, I never intend to do it again.

She don’t like…cocaine.

@AstroChuck—Remember that song…“She don’t lie, she don’t lie…cocaine.” That was back when they didn’t think it was addictive…..

snorting vs smoking. smoking is always more intense although snorting can give a different high that lasts longer and is more complete – at least with crystal thats true. HOWEVER – dependent upon where one lines out in the spectrum of preferred highs – smoking coke – whether actual freebased or crack – is pretty intense and anyone who says they have their use under control is for the most part full of shit. having done both extensively – snorting and freebasing – smoking is far more dangerous and addictive. its also more fun. ha (i dont do it anymore)