The comedian Richard Pryor was severely burned on the face when the chemicals he was using to make freebase cocaine exploded and burned. Other less famous people have suffered serious injury or death in this process. Crack is nothing more than freebase cocaine which has been prepared by a different method. The method used to produce crack allows the freebase cocaine vapors to penetrate deeply into the lungs. This produces a greater high, but is also an even more addictive way to use cocaine.
Crack smoking can also cause severe lung damage.
With the advent of crack, the high costs of cocaine came down. Cocaine use increased even further. Today we are experiencing the largest epidemic of cocaine use ever recorded. It is currently mentioned more frequently than any other drug, including alcohol, as a reason for treatment in hospital emergency rooms. Teen Challenge is funded by contributions.