How To Make Crack And Its Harmful Effects and Dangers

Learn how crack is made, including its harmful effects and dangers.


How Is Crack Made?

How to make crack? Crack is made by boiling a mixture of powder cocaine, water, and baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) or ammonia. This process removes the hydrochloride from the pure form of cocaine, creating a solid substance that is then broken down into small rocks. As hydrochloride has been removed from the cocaine, the rocks are smokable.

What Is A Cocaine?

Cocaine is also known as benzoylmethylecgonine [1]. Benzoylecgonine and cocaethylene (substances formed in the liver when cocaine and alcohol are mixed) are the compounds tested for in most substantive drug and alcohol tests. Powder cocaine is highly addictive and can change the brain’s structure and function if used repeatedly. Treating cocaine withdrawal symptoms can involve cocaine detox and therapy in hospitals, therapeutic communities, or inpatient drug rehab settings. 

What is Cocaine made out of? Cocaine is an extremely addictive stimulant drug made from the leaves of the coca plant. It increases the natural chemical messenger (dopamine) levels in brain circuits related to the control of movement and reward. No matter how much cocaine is taken, it is dangerous. Some of the most common serious problems include heart attack and stroke. Cocaine is a highly addictive stimulant drug used by 14-21 million people worldwide [2]. In 2018 there are 874,000 new cocaine users.

Aside from powder cocaine, another popular form of this illegal stimulant drug is crack cocaine. Crack cocaine is the hard form of cocaine that develops when the drug is combined with water and other solvents and then cooked into a hard, rock form. There are no pharmacological differences between powder cocaine and crack cocaine. This means that they are nearly identical and produce similar results. Crack cocaine can be more potent than powder cocaine. It causes physical dependence to set in more quickly and is far more dangerous than the powder counterpart.

What Is A Crack?

Crack is cocaine that has been processed so that it can be smoked. It also goes by the street name “rock.” Crack looks like small pieces or shavings of soap, but has a hard, sharp feel. Crack is usually smoked by heating it in a glass pipe, but it can also be mixed into a marijuana “joint” or a tobacco cigarette.

When a person smokes crack (or powder via free base) cocaine, the drug reaches the brain more rapidly and in higher peak doses than when it is snorted in powder form. The user feels an intense “rush” followed by a “crash” that can produce a strong craving for more of the drug.

How To Make Crack?

Crack cocaine is produced by mixing powder cocaine with water and baking soda (sodium bicarbonate). This combination is cooked down until a solid form. This solid is split up into small pieces, or “rocks”, which is what many individuals identify as crack cocaine.

Substances Used How Is Cracked Made

Making crack cocaine starts with a shrub grown in South America and ends with small, crystalline rocks that can be smoked.

Coca Plant

All conditions of cocaine reached from the leaves of the coca plant. The leaves are processed utilizing chemicals and parching agents to form pulverized cocaine.

Powdered Cocaine

Powdered cocaine is called cocaine hydrochloride. This white powder is produced from the leaves of the coca plant and can be utilized as-is or produced into other drugs like freebase cocaine or crack cocaine.

Modified Cocaine

Nearly all cocaine in powdered form has diluents and/or adulterants in it. These additives can produce cocaine more beneficial for dealers or enhance its effects and addictive qualities.

Lately, a lot of cocaine has lived cut with the deadly opioid fentanyl, leading to a rise in overdose deaths among cocaine and crack users.

Other typical adulterants include other stimulation drugs like amphetamines and caffeine.

The Result: Crack Cocaine Rocks

The end product of creating crack cocaine is small white, brown, or yellowish “rocks” that can be smoked. The rocks create a crackling sound when heated up, giving the drug its namesake.

Crack Cocaine Side Effects

Any condition of cocaine use is very dangerous. Crack cocaine drug use conducts to a more intense high than snorting cocaine powder.

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How Is Crack Made?

Like most illegal drugs, crack cocaine is fabricated in labs and other facilities occasionally referred to as “kitchens”. Crack is made by mixing pure cocaine with a variety of chemicals in a process known as “cooking”.

How Is Crack Made?

Crack is made by burning a mixture of powder cocaine, water, and baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) or ammonia. This procedure clears the hydrochloride from the pure form of cocaine, making a solid substance that is then split down into small rocks. As hydrochloride has been released from the cocaine, the rocks are smokable.

This method produces what is known as cooked crack which is sold as crack cocaine by drug dealers. There are also many other chemicals and substances that dealers and manufacturers will cook into the crack. These are known as cutting agents and can make the drug more harmful.

How Is Crack Made? What else goes into crack?

When the crack is cooked, it usually has additional chemicals or substances added to it. There are two primary reasons that drug dealers use cutting agents for crack:

  1. To increase the quantity of the drug.
  2. To enhance the effects of the drug.

Both of these involve additional chemicals that can be harmful to those who take the drug. Chemicals used to enhance the quantity being produced can range from relatively harmless baby powder to hazardous cleaning products and laundry detergents. Additional substances that are commonly added to crack include other stimulants like methamphetamine or Adderall, as we as potent opioids like Fentanyl. 

Opioids like fentanyl are responsible for over 70% of overdose deaths and can be extremely dangerous even in small quantities. Smoking crack that has been cut with other stimulants can lead to an increased heart rate and risk of a heart attack.

How Is Crack Made? How To Make A Crack Pipe?

Smoke it in a pipe

You’ll need a pipe, some steel or brass gauze (screens), and a thin stick for poking the gauze into the pipe.

A glass pipe is best for smoking crack because it doesn’t get too hot.

  1. Pack about 4 or 5 metal gauzes into one end of the pipe with the stick.
  2. Make a dimple in the last gauze to hold the rock
  3. Gently heat the rock with a lighter until it all melts into the gauze
  4. Heat the gauze with the tip of the lighter flame and inhale the vapor (tip your head back slightly so no liquid runs out of the end)
  5. Rotate the pipe as you heat it to make sure you get all the liquid

How Is Crack Made? How People Use A Crack Pipe

To use a crack pipe, small “rocks” of crack cocaine are placed into one end of the pipe. A lighter or candle is held against the surface of the pipe, melting the crack so its vapors can be inhaled.

Mouthpieces help prevent burns and lesions that come from smoking directly from the hot pipe. When mouthpieces are not available, sores and lesions around the mouth become more common.

People with sores on their lips might use extra lip balm to try to heal or cover up the sores.

Smoking crack gives you the most similar high to injecting. You need a small, square piece of foil and a straw (tooter) to inhale the smoke through
Smoking crack gives you the most similar high to injecting. You need a small, square piece of foil and a straw (tooter) to inhale the smoke through

Crack Cocaine Fact Sheet

What It Is: How Is Crack Made?

Cocaine is a white powder that comes from the dried leaves of the coca plant, which is found in South America. Crack cocaine is a form of drug that gives a very quick, intense high.

Crack is made by cooking cocaine powder with baking soda, then breaking it into small pieces called rocks. It got its name because it crackles when it is heated and smoked.

Crack cocaine looks like white or tan pellets (sort of like gerbil or dry cat food). Both cocaine and crack are very addictive — and very, very dangerous.

Sometimes Called:

coke, rock, snow, blow, white, toot, nose candy, base, flake, powder, basa, smack

How It’s Used:

Cocaine is inhaled or snorted through the nose or injected into a vein. Crack is smoked in a pipe.

What It Does:

Cocaine is a stimulant, which means that it produces a fast, intense feeling of power and energy. Then it wears off (crack wears off very quickly) and the user feels depressed and nervous and craves more of the drug to feel good again.

Cocaine is so addictive that someone can get hooked after trying it just once.

Snorting cocaine can damage the septum between the nostrils, causing a hole in the middle of the nose.

Cocaine makes the heart beat faster and blood pressure and body temperature go up. It also can make the heart beat abnormally. Cocaine is so dangerous that using it just once can cause a heart attack, stroke, or even death.

How Is Crack Made? Crack is made by burning a mixture of powder cocaine, water, and baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) or ammonia.
How Is Crack Made?
How Is Crack Made? Crack is made by burning a mixture of powder cocaine, water, and baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) or ammonia.
How Is Crack Made?

Crack Cocaine User Statistics

Learn about crack cocaine addiction statistics in the U.S., from the demographics and age groups affected, to overdose and recovery rates.


4 %

Crack cocaine is a problem in high schools, too — about 4% of high school seniors have admitted to the use of cocaine at least once in their last time, beginning in grade school.

Source: NIDA

3.1 %

 Rates of crack cocaine use in adults — while comparing studies from 2016 and 2020 — have increased upwards of 3.1% in persons over 18 years of age.

Source: NIDA


How Is Crack Made? How To Make A Crack Wire For Vape?

Want to know how to charge & you will not be able to find any charger for your disposable vape battery, however, you can make one for yourself. For this work, you can turn any charger into a vape charger. If you are doing this for the first time then I will suggest you choose a USB cable charger of low voltage.

USB adapter chargers for the cell phone will work best here. Other chargers like C type all work fine too. But they will make the process a little more complicated.

And complicated work will only make you give up so avoid any other type. If you have any old but working chargers for big devices like laptops and try to avoid them too. Small device chargers work fine here because a vape is a small device in itself.

The vape does not come with inbuilt chargers and the batteries of the vape are disposable. but you can make a homemade charger for your vape. just follow these simple steps to make your vape charge again.
How Is Crack Made?
The vape does not come with inbuilt chargers and the batteries of the vape are disposable. but you can make a homemade charger for your vape.
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How Is Crack Made? How To Make Crack In A Spoon?

Half a gram to a gram of good coke (the better the product the better the return), a tablespoon, and a bottle of household ammonia.

Crush your powder fine and get it on the spoon, fill the spoon with ammonia. The cocaine should float initially, get a matchstick (anything thin, metal is preferred but a match is fine), the cocaine will have started turning to a white glue-looking blob, use your match to clump all the coke together and add a light to the underside of the spoon, swirl the spoon gently the ammonia will start to go cloudy take the lighter away when you see the ammonia start going cloudy.

Keep swirling until the reaction stops(no more cloudiness forming), take your match and give it gentle prod, it should be a thick oily white goo that stating to feel thicker, now drain your spoon of the ammonia (you can tip it straight out the crack will be stuck to the spoon) it will look still like a blob of glue take your match and start to prod it, from here it takes about 15 seconds at the most and it will harden straight into a rock of pure evil.

When it has hardened and you’ll know it has to Take it off the spoon and get some newspaper to leave your rock on there to dry for a while( as long as you can wait)

A spoon containing baking soda, cocaine, and a small amount of water. Used in a "poor man's" crack-cocaine production
 A spoon containing baking soda, cocaine, and a small amount of water. Used in a “poor man’s” crack-cocaine production

How Is Crack Made? Who Uses Crack?

Individuals of all ages use crack cocaine—data reported in the NationalHousehold Survey on Drug Abuse indicate that an estimated 6,222,000 U.S. residents aged 12 and older used crack at least once in their lifetime.

The survey also revealed that hundreds of thousands of teenagers and young adults use crack cocaine—150,000 individuals aged 12 to 17 and 1,003,000 individuals aged 18 to 25 used the drug at least once. Crack cocaine use among high school students is a particular problem. Nearly 4 percent of high school seniors in the United States used the drug at least once in their lifetime, and more than 1 percent used the drug in the past month, according to the University of Michigan’s Monitoring the Future Survey.

How Is Crack Made? How Is Crack Abused?

Cocaine, in any form, is a powerfully addictive drug addiction that seems to
develop more quickly when the drug is smoked—as the crack is—then snorted—as powdered cocaine typically is. In addition to the usual risks associated with cocaine use (constricted blood vessels; increased temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure; and risk of cardiac arrest and seizure),
crack users may experience acute respiratory problems, including coughing, shortness of breath, and lung
trauma and bleeding. Crack cocaine smoking also can cause aggressive and paranoid behavior.

How Is Crack Made? Is crack cocaine illegal?

Yes, crack cocaine is illegal.
Crack cocaine is a Schedule II
substance under the Controlled
Substances Act. Schedule II drugs,
which include PCP and methamphetamine, have a high potential
for abuse. Abuse of these drugs
may lead to severe psychological or
physical dependence.

As crack use rose during the late 1980s, millions of dollars were spent on street-level drug enforcement and on jailing tens of thousands
As crack use rose during the late 1980s, millions of dollars were spent on street-level drug enforcement and on jailing tens of thousands 

How Is Crack Made? How Long Does Cocaine Stay In Your System

If you have ever asked, ‘how long does cocaine stay in your system?’, this may be because you’ve noticed that you or a loved one has a problem with cocaine abuse. Anyone who is concerned about testing positive for cocaine should know the dangers of cocaine addiction and consider stopping use. If they find they are unable to stop using, they may have a cocaine use disorder. Those who struggle with cocaine addiction should seek substance use disorder treatment as soon as possible.

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Does cocaine cause anxiety?
How Is Crack Made? Does cocaine cause anxiety?

Factors That Determine How Long Cocaine Stays in the System

How long does cocaine stay in your system? Many factors, such as the length of your drug addiction, can affect how long cocaine stays in your system. Frequency of use and amount of use are two of the biggest factors that determine how long a drug screening can detect cocaine. But there are others to consider.

Method Of Administration

The method of cocaine drug use can determine the effects of crack cocaine on your brain. In other words, the faster it gets to your brain (like when you smoke or inject it as opposed to snorting it), the faster you feel the high or rush of the drug. But the manner of ingestion also affects the time it remains in your body. The quicker it gets into your system, the quicker it leaves. Some methods of crack cocaine use can shorten the window of detection.

Body Fat Composition

One of the cocaine metabolites is benzoylecgonine, which generally is stored in fat. So, the more fat tissue a person has, the more storage room, as it were, there is for benzoylecgonine.

Cocaine Metabolites

Cocaine metabolites are the compounds that result from cocaine being metabolized into the bloodstream. The metabolites eventually work their way into the urine. A few things can slow the exit of metabolites through your urine. One is dehydration. The more dehydrated you are, the longer crack cocaine will stay in your system. The second is drinking alcohol or caffeine while using cocaine. If you take either of these things with cocaine, they can slow the metabolization of cocaine.

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How Long Does Cocaine Stay in Your System Lick Test? Cocaine Urine Drug Test

How long does cocaine stay in your system urine test? A urine test is the most common one and is usually performed as a routine test in a company. Its non-invasiveness and ease of administration have made it an industry standard when it comes to company-wide scheduled drug testing.

It is quite accurate, with most urine tests being able to detect levels of 300ng/l. How long does cocaine stay in your system urine? A urine test will usually give positive results if the person being tested has ingested cocaine 2-5 days prior to the test giving a urine sample.

How long does cocaine stay in your system pee test? Cocaine drug tests look for evidence that the body has recently metabolized (indicating the ingestion of) crack rather than the substance itself. While benzoylecgonine, a byproduct of the body’s metabolism of crack cocaine, takes 6–24 hours to exit the body, it can still be detectable up to five days after the last use.

How Long Does Cocaine Stay in Your System? Cocaine Saliva Drug Test

How long does cocaine stay in your system saliva test? A saliva test has the shortest detection time but is the easiest and least invasive one to administer. The sample is taken with a cotton swab from the area between the gums and lower cheek, and it takes around 10 minutes to produce a result. The saliva test is rising in popularity among employers as it can be administered at random and on the spot. However, the downside is that it can be adulterated relatively easily, and its detection time rarely exceeds two days when testing for cocaine use.

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How To Detox Cocaine?

There are no medications FDA-approved for cocaine detoxification at the moment. This means no medicines will be administered to the user while detoxing to lessen cravings. Some effective medications can still treat other cocaine withdrawal symptoms, such as anxiety, paranoia, or despair. During cocaine detox, doctors may prescribe various medications to help the addict feel better.

How to get cocaine out of your system faster? No matter how severely addicted you may be to cocaine, assistance is available! Choosing a cocaine detox program to assist you in sobriety is the first step in your recovery. Despite the odds, you have a number of options at your disposal to assist you in achieving and maintaining sobriety. First, consider the intensity of your addiction; if you often use cocaine, a residential facility or a cocaine detox program that includes 24-hour care may be suitable for you.

Medication Assisted Treatments (MAT)

Medication-Assisted Treatments (MAT) for substance use and mental health disorders are commonly used in conjunction with one another. This includes the use of medications and other medical procedures. During your rehab, the staff from your treatment facility will help you identify what caused your addiction and teach you skills that will help you change your behavior patterns and challenge the negative thoughts that led to your addiction. Sometimes, the pressures and problems in your life lead you to rely on substances to help you forget about them momentarily.

Please, do not try to detox on your own. The detox process can be painful and difficult without medical assistance. However, getting through the detox process is crucial for continued treatment. We Level Up provide proper care with round-the-clock medical staff to assist your recovery through our drug addiction treatment program medically. So, reclaim your life, and call us to speak with one of our treatment specialists. Our counselors know what you are going through and will answer any of your questions.

Drug Rehab Near Me

Drug addiction is a condition that can cause significant health problems, such as an overdose. We at Level Up NJ rehab treatment & detox center can provide you, or someone you love, the tools to recover from this with professional and safe treatment. Feel free to call us to speak with one of our counselors. We can inform you about this condition and clarify issues like drug withdrawal symptoms. Our specialists know what you are going through. Please understand that each call is private and confidential.

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What is the difference between crack cocaine and powder cocaine?

Cocaine is a highly addictive stimulant drug increasing the drug users’ heart rate, blood pressure, alertness, and energy.  Cocaine is classified as a stimulant drug because it increases activity in the brain and temporarily elevates mood, alertness, and energy levels.  Crack cocaine is made from powdered cocaine becoming the crystal form of cocaine that is smoked and inhaled.

What are the dangers associated with cocaine use?

Cocaine presents the risk of addiction and overdose, and an addiction to cocaine is devastating physically, emotionally, and financially.  Like any other drug, cocaine impairs judgment and does lead to risky behavior such as unprotected sex and exchanging dirty needs through intravenous drug use.  The use of cocaine also weakens the immune system, which causes drug users to become more susceptible to HIV or hepatitis infection

How Long Do the Effects of Cocaine Last?

Cocaine “high” can affect individuals differently. However, generally, a high begins almost immediately and can last up to a few hours. It may sound simple, but a lot is happening behind the scenes. Once someone ingests cocaine, whether, by snorting, smoking, or intravenously, it instantly affects the brain. Cocaine disrupts the brain’s normal communication between neurons. Therefore, this causes a surge of the “feel-good” chemicals, such as dopamine and serotonin.

How to make crack cocaine?

Crack cocaine is made by modifying powdered cocaine to extract the base cocaine, changing the drug’s physical qualities.

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