Abuse of crack and cocaine in Texas

Cocaine is a highly addictive stimulant drug that produces a rush of euphoria. It comes from the leaves of the coca plant grown in South America. Despite a recent decrease in use over recent years, cocaine remains one of the most commonly abused drugs in Texas.

Though it goes by a different name, crack is cocaine in another form. Therefore, statistics tracking cocaine use include crack.

What is the difference between cocaine and crack?

According to the Drug Enforcement Agency, crack is another name for cocaine base, which is a form of the drug that one can smoke. This causes the user to feel the effects more quickly because the drug reaches the brain faster. Crack looks like white rocks, while cocaine appears as a white powder.

Cocaine powder becomes injectable once dissolved in water, which produces a rush similar to that from smoking crack. Otherwise, people usually use cocaine by snorting lines of the powder, which makes the initial effects less intense. The effects of cocaine use include restlessness, irritability and increased alertness. The body quickly builds up a tolerance to cocaine, meaning that users must take higher doses to achieve the same effects.

What does cocaine use in Texas look like?

Nova Recovery Center reports that, overall, addiction to cocaine in Texas has decreased in recent years. However, certain groups of people appear to be using it more often than others. A higher percentage of cocaine users in Texas are Caucasian, while cocaine use has declined among African Americans.

The use of drugs such as cocaine may fluctuate over time. Cocaine use may see a spike soon based on forensic data indicating that it has been showing up along the Mexican border in increased quantities over the past couple of years.