| How is Crack used? |
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Crack is nearly always smoked. Smoking is done using a pipe of some sort. Most crack users use something called a "glass flower." This common pipe is simply a glass tube approximately 5 inches long and comes with a small rose flower inside. They are sold this way so that they can be distributed through retail stores, usually liquor stores but can usually be found at many convenience stores too.
The user will take the flower out of the tube and insert a small portion of steel wool. The most common wool used is "Choy Boy" which is made of copper. Once the user has his glass tube with the steel wool inserted into one end, he has a "crack pipe."
To smoke the crack, or rock, the user will then take one of the rocks and insert it into the end of the pipe where the steel wool is. The next item that is a must have for this preparation is the "Bic" or lighter. Crack users like to use lighters that have an adjustable flame. Once the crack is inserted into the pipe and the lighter is adjusted to have a large flame, the crack is melted into the wool by holding the flame over the end of the pipe until the rock melts or disappears. The crack is now ready to smoke. The user will then inhale the vapors by holding the end of the pipe with the crack up to the flame and inhaling from the other end. Smoking crack cocaine delivers large quantities of the drug to the lungs, producing an immediate and intense euphoric effect.
Most crack users will end up with burns on their fingers and lips as a result of using this glass pipe. During a typical crack binge, the user will break the glass pipe, yet continue to use it until there is nothing left of it. I myself would use a pipe even when there was only an inch or two left of it. Trying to smoke the crack with such a short pipe always produced burns. The incredible thing is that no matter how small or broken the pipe is, if the user can not get another one he will endure the burns just to get a hit until he can buy or make another pipe. Typical "alternatives" for a crack pipe might include, a tire gauge, broken radio antenna, writing pen, pop can, aluminum foil, or just about anything that can duplicate a tube.
Other methods for using crack can and have been used but are not common. The most common alternative is to use the crack intravenously when the drug is melted, usually in a spoon, and then administered into a vein. Obviously, this method is more dangerous than smoking and opens the door for infectious diseases.
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