Originally Posted by
pkskyali
We should also note that it is also possible to overdose on cocaine. MW neglected to list "death" as one of the possible complications from using cocaine. It is a dangerous drug.
And as far as the human body is concerned, there is no difference between the cocaine that is snorted as a powder and the cocaine that is smoked as crack. The only reason that crack became such a plague in impoverished communities is because it didn't need a fussy environment for its consumption.
Typically, powdered cocaine is consumed by snorting up lines laid out on a surface somewhere. Crack can be smoked anywhere on the fly, in the back of a car, standing in an alleyway, in a bathroom stall. It is also easier to package and distribute in smaller doses, making it cheaper.
The difference between getting it into the bloodstream by exposing the powder to the nasal septum and exposing its vapor to the lungs is subtle but not as important in its risks.
The difference between the way the two are prosecuted is strictly political, some would say racist. That's one of the things that should change right away in shutting down the Drug War.