Crack cocaine is cocaine mixed with water and baking powder that is cooked and dried, then smoked. It is highly addictive and dangerous. According to the US Department of Justice , crack cocaine is more psychologically addicting than powder cocaine, and is thus more likely to result in chronic and heavy use.
In addition, the drug is more commonly associated with systemic violence than its counterpart. Crack cocaine is one of the forms of cocaine base, which is produced from powder cocaine and is smoked. Crack is essentially powder cocaine mixed with water and baking soda which is dried into a solid mass.
Smoked cocaine, or crack cocaine, takes about 20 seconds to reach the brain, and its effects last for about 30 minutes. According to a study published in the US National Library of Medicine , there is a greater propensity for dependence when cocaine is smoked rather than snorted. The Act changed the ratio of crack to powder cocaine for purposes of imposing the same sentence for possession of each form of the drug from to-one to to-one.
So, the federal law still imposes a different and harsher sentence for crack cocaine possession than it does for powder cocaine possession, but the disparity is not nearly as great as under the Act. Regardless of changes in federal law, a charge of crack or powder cocaine is a very serious charge. If you face drug possession charges, you should see a lawyer immediately. Only an experienced criminal defense lawyer who is familiar with the law in your state or, if the case is in federal court, an experienced federal practitioner will be able to advise you as to the strength of the case against you and the availability of any defenses.
And only a local lawyer who knows the prosecutors and judges in your courthouse can give you a realistic assessment on how the case is likely to proceed. The information provided on this site is not legal advice, does not constitute a lawyer referral service, and no attorney-client or confidential relationship is or will be formed by use of the site. The attorney listings on this site are paid attorney advertising. In some states, the information on this website may be considered a lawyer referral service.
Please reference the Terms of Use and the Supplemental Terms for specific information related to your state. Market Your Law Firm. Lawyer Directory. Call us at 1 Crack vs. What Is Crack Cocaine? Media Hype Crack cocaine first hit the national radar in but, contrary to media reports, it was not a new drug. Political Reaction With the mid-term congressional elections looming, Congress reflexively grabbed onto the growing crack epidemic hysteria and reacted by holding hearings at which unscientific and ultimately discredited claims were made about the heightened dangers of crack and its insidious spread throughout urban communities.
While the law was changed in , there continues to be a disparity of 18 to 1. This sentencing disparity has had a disproportionate impact on poor people and people of color.
Statistics show that Black people are more likely to be convicted of crack cocaine offenses even though the majority of crack cocaine users are white and white people are more likely to be convicted of powder cocaine offenses. This means that Black people continue to receive far harsher drug sentences than white people even though powder and crack cocaine are nearly identical substances. See the fact sheet for more information and sources. All authors edited and approved the final manuscript as submitted.
References American Civil Liberties Union. The War on Marijuana in Black and White. New York, NY: Getting a fix on cocaine sentencing policy: reforming the sentencing scheme of the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of Fordham Law Rev. The notorious crack:powder disparity — The data tell us that it is time to restore the balance. Federal Sentencing Reporter.
Is crack cheaper than powder cocaine? Illicit drug use and educational attainment. Health Econ. Epidemiological estimates of risk in the process of becoming dependent upon cocaine: cocaine hydrochloride powder versus crack cocaine.
Relationship between extent of cocaine use and dependence among adolescents and adults in the United States. Substance dependence and other psychiatric disorders among drug dependent subjects: Race and gender correlates. Am J Addict. Supporting the habit: income generation activities of frequent crack users compared with frequent users of other hard drugs.
Scottish cocaine users: wealthy snorters or delinquent smokers? Available from: www. Fair Sentencing Act, Public Law —, th Congress. Epidemiology and etiology of drug abuse: drug use patterns and trends in rural communities. J Rural Health. Criminol Public Policy. Cocaine: A Drug and its Social Evolution. Basic Books; New York: Cocaine use and educational achievement: understanding a changing association over the past 2 decades. Am J Public Health. Crack cocaine and cocaine hydrochloride: are the differences myth or reality?
Applied Survey Data Analysis. Addict Behav. Oxford University Press; New York: The influence of crack cocaine on the likelihood of incarceration for a violent offense: An examination of a prison sample. Crim Justice Policy Rev. Social conditions as fundamental causes of disease. J Health Soc Behav Spec.
The role of monthly spending money in college student drinking behaviors and their consequences. J Am Coll Health. Substance use among adults 35 years of age: prevalence, adulthood predictors, and impact of adolescent substance use.
NIDA; Bethesda: Drug Facts: Cocaine. Demographic and socioeconomic correlates of powder cocaine and crack use among high school seniors in the United States.
Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse. A different kind of contextual effect: geographic clustering of cocaine incidence in the USA. J Epidemiol Community Health. Characteristics of rural crack and powder cocaine use: gender and other correlates. Cigarette smoking, pocket money and socioeconomic status: results from a national survey of 4th form students in Crack cocaine use: a review of prevalence and adverse effects. Families Against Mandatory Minimums.
Debating the Controlled Substances Act. Law Contemp Prob. Stata Statistical Software: Release Neighbourhood structural characteristics and crack cocaine use: exploring the impact of perceived neighbourhood disorder on use among African Americans. Int J Drug Policy. Rockville, MD: b. United States Government Accountability Office. United States Sentencing Commission. Washington, DC: Washington, DC: b.
Available at: www. Is crack cocaine use associated with greater violence than powdered cocaine use? Results from a national sample. Crack, policy, and advocacy: a case analysis illustrating the need to monitor emergent public health-related policy and engage in persistent evidence-based advocacy.
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