Two dangerous and all-too-often abused stimulant drugs are meth and crack. Since both act as stimulants on the brain and body of the user, it can be difficult to determine how they’re different from one another.Both meth and crack impact dopamine in the brain, which is why people using these drugs experience a euphoric high initially, but what is the difference between crack and meth? Are there similarities between meth and crack and if so, what are they?The following provides an overview of both meth and crack separately, and also highlights the difference between meth and crack. Before comparing the similarities and difference between crack and meth, what is meth?Meth is a shortened term for crystal methamphetamine or crystal meth. It’s a stimulant drug that’s often made with toxic chemicals that are very harmful to the brain, organs, and body.
It can be made in a home-based laboratory, which keeps it cheap but also makes it so dangerous.Crystal meth is a crystalline drug that can be snorted, smoked or injected, and when you take it, it creates euphoria as well as a false sense of well-being, confidence, and energy. It also reduces the appetite of users, and the effects are relatively long-lasting compared to other stimulants.For many people, it only takes one time using meth for it to become addictive, but the euphoric high isn’t something that’s usually maintained with long-term use. The euphoria dissipates after using it repeatedly, but people are addicted at that point, so they keep taking it.Meth is very toxic and often poisonous to users, and it can lead to severe and deadly health risks including memory and cognitive problems, psychosis, aggression, and damage to the heart and brain.So, what is the comparison between meth and crack? Is there a significant difference between crack and meth? Crack, which is also referred to as crack cocaine is the crystallized form of cocaine, and it varies in color and can be pale pink, white or yellow.
When crack is used, it’s heated and then smoked, and it gets its name from the crackling sound it makes when it’s exposed to heat.Crack is the most powerful and addictive form of cocaine, and it’s significantly stronger than regular cocaine.When someone smokes crack, it reaches the brain quickly and creates a potent but also short-lived high, lasting only about 15 minutes. It’s not uncommon for people to become addicted to it the first time they use it, which is something meth and crack have in common.When someone uses crack, they often experience feelings of depression and cravings after the quick burst of the high. It can also lead to a rapid heart rate, convulsions, paranoia, hostility and anxiety and these symptoms can linger even after the effects of the drug have worn off. Also possible with the use of crack are heart attacks, seizure, and stroke.So what about the comparison between meth and crack?
Because both are stimulants and create many of the same behavioral side effects in users, people often wonder if there is a difference between crack and meth.The following are some of the things to know about the difference between crack and meth:. Probably the biggest difference between crack and meth is the fact that crack is a very short-term drug. You feel extremely euphoric, but only for a few minutes. On the other hand, the effects of meth last much longer. Even after the euphoria of meth fades, users still experience effects such as being paranoid and “tweaking.” In many cases, the effects of meth can last up to 24 hours.
The half-life of meth is around 12 hours, while with crack it’s about an hour. Crack, which is a form of cocaine, is derived from the coca plant. A big difference with meth and crack is the fact that meth is entirely manmade. Meth is often more damaging to the brain and the body of the user, as compared to crack.
Crack Cocaine Withdrawal
How Cocaine Is Made How Cocaine Is Made Cocaineis a highly addictive stimulative drug that is manufactured from the leaves of the coca plant. It is classified as a central nervous system stimulant, but pharmacologically it is considered an anesthetic. Cocaine is a drug that increases alertness, feelings of well-being, euphoria, energy and feelings of competence and sexuality.
Anxiety, paranoia and restlessness are some of the side effects of the drug. It is the most abused major stimulant in America and the second most popular illicit drug used in the USA behind marijuana. Cocaine and the Coca PlantCocaine is a naturally occurring alkaloid found in certain varieties of the Erythorxylum genus, or coca plant. Of the 200 species, only 2 contain significant levels of cocaine.
The plant can grow in widely varied climates and soil conditions, though the highest cocaine content is found in plants that are grown in higher, cooler climates. Cocaine is harvested from the leaves of the plant which are continuously stripped from the plant. Once stripped, the leaves are typically dried until brittle or transported immediately to an illicit laboratory.
If the leaves get wet and begin to rot, they will be unusable.Cocaine is to form a paste. This paste is further synthesized and cut with adulterant substances to make it into street-level cocaine that can be injected, snorted or smoked. To make the paste, there is a process of extracting the cocaine that includes the use of toxic chemicals. There are two main ways that the cocaine paste is made: solvent extraction and acid extraction. Solvent Extraction of Cocaine PasteThe first stage is to finely chop the leaves and dust them with lime or carbonate salt along with a small amount of water. Some manufacturers will use a leaf mulcher to complete this process, others will do it by hand.
Next kerosine or diesel fuel is then added to the coca leaf and lime/salt mixture and vigorously stirred for up to three days. This removes the cocaine from the leaf into the liquid. Occasionally this is done using a washing machine or cement mixer. Poorer manufacturers will do this by hand.Once the cocaine has been extracted, the liquid is heated to remove any wax from the coca leaves, then filtered to separate it from the vegetable matter. There will typically be a large amount of liquid that is then mixed with sulfuric acid and mixed again. The acid converts the cocaine free base to cocaine sulfate. The mixture is allowed to sit to allow the separation of the cocaine sulfate which is then mixed with lime or caustic soda.
The addition of these chemicals neutralizes the sulfuric acid and the filtered chemical is a gummy, yellow solid. This paste is dried, packaged and shipped to a further laboratory for further extraction and handling. Acid Extraction of Cocaine PasteThe leaves of the coca plant are placed in a pit with diluted sulfuric acid. The leaf and acid mixture is vigorously macerated by workers who will typically stomp the mixture for up to 2 hours. The acid in the pit will convert the cocaine in the leaves to cocaine sulfate, which is removed and then heated to remove the waxy residue. It is then filtered to remove the remaining plant matter. The liquid then has lime or carbonate added to it, and is stirred vigorously, resulting in a curdled coca paste.
The curdled mixture is mixed with kerosine and then re-filtered to isolate the paste and further processed with more sulfuric acid. Coca Paste to Street CocaineOnce the coca paste has been extracted and produce, it needs further processing to change it into the product that is ingestable. This is primarily a purification process. The coca paste is dissolved in a small amount of dilute sulfuric acid and potassium permanganate is added.
This chemical is a powerful oxidizing agent that reacts with the impurities in the coca paste and changes the color of the coca paste from a yellow-brown color to a colorless or faint white color. The resulting colorless, acidic solution is filtered and treated with ammonia to neutralize the sulfuric acid.The cocaine product is further dried to convert it into cocaine hydrochloride. Cocaine hydrochloride is the street product that is a white, crystalline powder with a bitter taste and numbing effect. Cocaine loses its potency in other forms and it is also less soluble. Cocaine must be water soluble so that it can be injected, otherwise the drug can be in clumps when injected which can lead to cardiac arrest.
As cocaine hydrochloride, which is a salt, the drug can be both injected and snorted and is absorbed into the blood-stream easily.Typically, cocaine hydrochloride is cut with other products before it is sold on the street. Are used to increase the volume of the drug and increase profits for dealers. The substances that cocaine are cut with can include non-toxic items such as talc, bicarbonate soda or glucose to harmful chemicals such as amphetamines and levamisole. Converting Cocaine to Crack Cocaineis the most potent form of cocaine. Crack cocaine produces a very intense high that is often associated with repeated use of the drug and intense energy, hyperactivity, aggression and paranoia.Crack cocaine is made by converting cocaine hydrochloride into a solid form of freebase cocaine. This is done by cooking cocaine hydrochloride with sodium bicarbonate or ammonia. The result of the cooked cocaine is a jagged chunk of crack cocaine.
In this form the drug is typically smoked by heating it in a glass pipe and inhaling the vapor.