Although it produces a product higher in purity than coca paste, the crack conversion process does not eliminate all of the impurities in the cocaine. Adulterants such as lidocaine, procaine, and benzocaine survive the crack conversion process and are inhaled by the user. Federal mandatory minimum sentences are higher for crack than for powdered cocaine, but crack cocaine provides a much higher profit margin for the dealer. Countless individuals sell crack at the retail level, usually in inner cities. Once arrested, they are replaced almost immediately.
Street gangs play an important role in cocaine distribution in Northern California.
According to the Sacramento Police Department, the Del Paso Heights Bloods distribute cocaine locally and to other western states. The California Department of Justice estimates that there could be as many as 100,000 African-American gang members in California, the majority belonging to Crips and Bloods gangs. Each gang has between 10 and 1,000 members from 15 to 38 years old. They usually affiliate with these gangs for protection from other inmates or for control of certain criminal activities in the prison. In Oakland, the majority of the dosage-unit sales of cocaine are in crack form.