The popularity of cocaine climbed steadily in the 1990s and 2000s and use in Britain and Spain are the highest in Europe.
Although estimates suggest around 800,000 people used cocaine powder in 2009/10, it is thought less than a quarter of that number are crack users.
Crack cocaine is smoked through a pipe and it delivers a short, intense high which wears off quickly.
Users feel confident, alert and awake. It raises the body temperature and heart rate and reduces appetite.
Repeated users can tolerate high doses of around two grams a day and can lead to extreme anxiety, paranoia and hallucinations.
Fatigue and depression can follow.
Crack is said to be instantly addictive and induces intense craving for the drug however dependency is not inevitable.
High doses can lead to breathing problems, convulsions and a heart attack. All can result in sudden death. Crack users can experience symptoms including coughing, shortness of breath, lung damage and bleeding.
Crack is often mixed with other substances that create toxic fumes when burned. As crack smoke does not remain potent for long, crack pipes are generally very short.
This often causes cracked and blistered lips, known as “crack lip,” from users having a very hot pipe pressed against their lips.
Long-term effects from use of crack cocaine include severe damage to the heart, liver and kidneys. Users are more likely to have infectious diseases. Other effects include damage to the blood vessals, severe tooth decay, reproductive damage and infertility.
Daily use causes sleep deprivation and loss of appetite, resulting in malnutrition and weight loss.
As crack cocaine interferes with the way the brain processes chemicals, one needs more and more of the drug just to feel “normal.”
Coming down from the drug causes severe depression, which becomes deeper and deeper after each use. Depression can get so intense it can drive the addict to suicide.
Cocaine is a Class A drug and possession can carry a seven year jail term.