Possession of. Politicians' War on Drugs played in lead role in casting the drug in the light we see it today.

For a great example of this, check out the George H.W. Bush sent across airwaves from the Oval Office in 1989. “What’s the most pressing problem today?” the then-president asks. “Cocaine, and in particular, crack cocaine.” “Who’s responsible?” Bush continues. “Everyone who uses drugs, everyone who sells drugs, and everyone who looks the other way.” He went on to discuss crack itself: “It’s as innocent-looking as candy, but it's turning our cities into battle zones, and it's murdering our children.” as a scapegoat for complex social problems — unemployment, poor education, lack of resources, violence, and the list goes on.

It was easy to blame drugs for inner-city woes, which made the War On Drugs appear to be a necessary and helpful solution. This is not to say that drug use wasn’t widespread during the late '80s and early '90s, because it was. And it is important to note that cocaine is harmful for you in any form. However, demonizing crack is tied to specific beliefs about the users — where they come from, what they look like, and the role they play in society. Is crack really all that different from its more glamorous counterpart, powder cocaine? But then again, neither drug is harmless. They are both incredibly damaging.?

These are two different forms of the same drug. The only difference it the pharmacokinetics, but this makes the effects different. Powder cocaine (cocaine HCl) is water soluble and degrades in heat. Because it is water soluble, it isn't absorbed w.

In search of the truth, ATTN: asked an expert for some help. Jenni Stein, PharmD BCPS, is a clinical pharmacist, who maintains a focused on addressing the way addiction is viewed and treated. Stein shared with ATTN: the difference between crack cocaine and powder cocaine and the science behind addiction. She also offered her opinion of how the crack epidemic began, along with how we should be talking about drugs, decriminalization, and addiction. The dark history of why cocaine is illegal.(ATTN: is excited to launch a new series about the history of illegal drugs).Posted by on Sunday, June 21, 2015 ATTN: Are crack and powder cocaine the same drug? Jenni Stein: Yes, they are the same drug.

Both are cocaine. So then what’s the difference between the two? Tell me about. JS: The actual chemical effects of crack vs.

Powder cocaine are not different. However, the chemical makeup of crack vs. Powder cocaine does slightly differ. Powder cocaine is the hydrochloride salt form (cocaine HCL). This is how cocaine exists 'in nature' from coca leaves.

As a salt, it is soluble in water, stable as a powder, and usually snorted through the nose and absorbed through nasal mucosa membranes. It can also be dissolved in water or melted and injected. Crack cocaine is the free base form of cocaine. There is a longer scientific explanation, but basically, it is not a salt.

It is powder cocaine that has been processed with a base, such as baking soda, to remove the HCL. In its “free base” form cocaine is more lipophilic-- meaning it’s able to be rapidly absorbed when smoked. Easyweather For Os X 10.6. Can you tell me about the way the drugs are used, and their effects?

JS: Because powder cocaine and crack have different formulations, they are 'used' differently, and therefore have different effects. The different effects are 100 percent related to the way they're used (routes of administration), not the chemical formulation beyond the fact that the differing formulations allow for different routes of administration. A 'high' from snorted cocaine will hit you in about 1-5 minutes, be at its peak within 20-30 minutes, and last 1-2 hours. A 'high' from inhaled or injected cocaine will hit you in less than a minute, be at its peak within 3-5 minutes, and last 30 minutes to an hour.