Drug overdose deaths involving cocaine and psychostimulants with abuse potential - United States, 2003–2017. Crack cocaine, a systematic literature review. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy. Healthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations. Today, the terms “freebasing” and “smoking crack” are almost always used interchangeably (this is also what we mean by “freebasing” for the rest of this article). The name comes from the crackling sound the rock makes when it’s being heated. The end is crystal rocks that can be smoked in a pipe. It’s made by using sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) to remove hydrochloride from cocaine. This process isn’t really a thing anymore because taking a lighter or blowtorch to ether, a highly flammable liquid, is a recipe for an explosive disaster.Īfter who knows how many freebasing accidents, crack cocaine entered the scene as an equally potent substance that’s safer to produce. A heat source, like a lighter or torch, was then used to heat the freebase so you could inhale the vapors. In the 1970s, ether was used to “free” the base - hence the name - from any additives and impurities that were in traditional coke. Cocaine is made from hydrochloride and alkaloid, which is also known as “base.”

Making crack with ammonia video