Cocaine and crack facts
Street names
Coke, charlie, gear, banger, snow, crack, rock, bones, stones, freebase.
How it affects you
- It’s is a powerful stimulant which speeds up your central nervous system.
- Your heart rate and blood pressure increase and your pupils get bigger.
- It makes you feel really powerful, as though can do anything, and gives you more energy and awareness.
- The effects of crack are even more intense than coke and you get a much quicker hit, but the effects last for only a short time.
Is it legal?
- No. It’s a Class A drug.
- If you’re caught with it you could get up to seven years in jail and a big fine.
- If you’re caught supplying or producing it you could get life imprisonment and an even bigger fine.
Risks, signs and symptoms
- You can very easily get hooked – developing a real craving for it and feel rough when it wears off.
- It can cause death, mainly from heart failure or internal bleeding.
- Regular crack users will almost certainly get breathing problems, because of damage to their lungs.
- If you snort cocaine regularly you can end up with a perforated septum – the wall between your nostrils.
- Even if you use cocaine only occasionally you could suffer from disrupted sleep patterns, appetite loss, fatigue, restlessness, anxiety and paranoia.
- It destroys some of the chemicals in your brain that control your mood, which can make you depressed and even suicidal.
- It increases adrenaline and this can cause restlessness, extreme paranoia and aggression.
- Mixing it with alcohol increases the risk of heart and liver damage.
How you can reduce the risks
- The only way to fully reduce the risks from cocaine and crack is simply not to take them.
- Don’t mix cocaine or crack with other substances.
- If you feel frightened, mentally disturbed, violent or aggressive you should try to reduce your use and seek medical help.
- You should sleep and eat well after you have used it.
- Users are more likely to have unsafe sex, so always carry condoms if there is a chance you may have sex.
- If you have a heart condition, you should always avoid stimulants like cocaine.
- Don’t share any drug equipment, such as needles, as you could pick up dangerous infections.
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