There are several methods by which people can use cocaine.Even though cocaine is most commonly snorted in its hydrochloride salt form, it can be swallowed as well as injected or consumed with alcohol.

Powder cocaine is the form which is generally ‘snorted’ by sniffing it up the nose.A narrow line of the power is placed on a smooth surface and the user quickly sniffs it into one nostril through a tube such as a rolled pound note or straw, or by using a specially designed spoon or other paraphernalia. Generally, this snorting is repeated within a few seconds using the other nostril.

Cocaine powder in its crystalline form can be dissolved in water and ‘slammed’, or used intravenously.Cocaine in its powder state has a high melting point and cannot be smoked.

Freebase cocaine is cocaine that is virtually free of the drug’s hydrochloride additive.Freebase cocaine is the result of the conversion of powder cocaine to cocaine sulphate.This new state makes the drug nearly 100 per cent pure.For this reason, the drug now has a low melting point and is no longer water soluble, thus enabling it to be smoked.

Crack cocaine is another form of cocaine and is the most lethal of all.Using baking soda and heat, the crack is extracted from the cocaine powder resulting in a waxy rock-like substance, which is often referred to as a ‘rock of crack’.This rock is then broken into small pieces and sold in vials, and is the easiest form of cocaine to smoke. Crack cocaine addiction is no joke.