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Usage techniques
of cocaine
Besides smoking freebase, there are other methods to use cocaine, each with its advantages and disadvantages. Below is an overview of these methods and ways to minimize their risks.
Smoking Cocaine Base
To smoke cocaine, you need a pipe, which comes in various forms. The mouthpiece, filtering, and smoking technique can make a difference. The optimal base-smoking technique should ideally prioritise achieving the best effect while minimising unnecessary health risks.
The most common type is the short “nose burner,” a pipe about five centimetres long. These short pipes are sold in coffee shops, grow shops, and sometimes in drug consumption rooms.
Regarding health, cooling is crucial when smoking. The shorter the pipe, the hotter the air that enters the lungs, causing more damage. For this reason, a water pipe is still the best choice, but unfortunately, it is fragile and not easy to transport. A water pipe also offers the best protection against inhaling ash.
The inhaled smoke from a nose burner is very hot. Most nose burners can easily be extended with an extra rod and fitting.
Materials such as glass or hard metals are suitable for a base pipe to prevent melting (plastic, aluminium) and the release of metal particles when scraping (see: fiado).
It is also important that a pipe does not draw in “false air” because it makes it harder to properly inhale the cocaine vapours. False air occurs if the rod and bowl of the pipe do not fit together perfectly.
The mouthpiece of the base pipe is mainly functional. It can be easily screwed on or off when lending the pipe. Generally, the (narrow) mouthpiece makes you suck harder on the pipe, which is why some prefer smoking without a mouthpiece. For both methods, the pipe’s end can become so hot during basing that it damages the lips. The cracks and blisters caused by this heat increase the transmission risk of blood-borne diseases such as hepatitis B and C. Lip balm can help prevent cracks.
To keep the cocaine ball neatly in the pipe, a net is needed. Various materials are used for this: perforated aluminium foil, steel wool balls, coaxial cable, stericups with holes, steel or copper screens, and tap filters.
Steel screens are the best choice. Steel does not emit harmful fumes and is less likely to disintegrate than copper. Screens are also quick and easy to use.
Many cocaine smokers use a screen with ash on top to prevent the cocaine from leaking through the screen when heated. Inhaling the smoke often also means inhaling some ash, which gives a sharp feeling in the throat. The cocaine vapour itself mainly feels warm.
Mainline always recommends putting a whole pack (five screens) in the pipe, so no ash is needed. This is better for the lungs, especially with common COPD. Five screens allow the cocaine vapour through but not the cocaine itself.
After smoking a few pipes, many base smokers scrape the pipe clean. Cocaine vapour partially settles in the pipe, leaving behind an oily substance called fiado. Ideally, fiado is cream-white. The more ash used during basing, the greyer the fiado becomes. Fiado is generally less potent than the base cocaine itself but still contains active substances. An analysis of several fiado samples by the Deltalab (2004) yielded an average purity of 48%.
There are various techniques to extract fiado from the pipe. The most common are scraping the pipe with, for example, a whale bone from an umbrella (with a kind of spoon at the end) and burning the pipe above the gas stove (heating the bowl and stem so the fiado evaporates). Both methods carry health risks:
When scraping, especially if the pipe is made of soft materials like aluminium, small metal particles can come along. Ash, soot, and dust are also scraped out. Using a hard material pipe and smoking without ash give the purest fiado.
When burning out, the air in the pipe becomes very hot, which is harmful to the lungs. If you burn out your pipe for fiado, extend the pipe with a cardboard tube. This allows the air to cool slightly before inhaling.
Cocaine should melt and evaporate, not burn. A full flame in the pipe quickly causes this burning – especially when using a turbo lighter. It is better to dip the flame just above the cocaine and carefully suck until the base starts to melt. The melting point of base cocaine is 94°-98°C. If the base catches fire, it is better not to blow but to slowly keep sucking until the flame goes out. If you stop sucking, the base will burn up.
Having multiple lighters is recommended. Due to the way they are used, a lighter becomes extremely hot, risking a skinned and burnt thumb, also known as crack thumb. With multiple lighters, you can switch and let them cool down.
Users who have lived and used a lot on the street tend to smoke their base bent over. Understandably, as this shields your pipe from the wind. At the same time, this compresses your lungs. Smoking with a straight back allows for a larger lung volume, resulting in a (slightly) greater effect from the cocaine. Moreover, the smoke is distributed over more alveoli, making the impact on the lungs less severe.
Good, deep breathing increases lung volume. Proper breathing enhances the effect of the cocaine and the health of the lungs. Proper breathing means: breathing in and out well three times beforehand and then exhaling completely before taking a puff. During the puff, it is important not to hold your breath – it gives no extra effect but is harmful to the lungs. Finally, exhale calmly and breathe well afterwards. The lungs fill with oxygen again, which improves the effectiveness of the base and cleanses the lungs.
Chasing the Dragon
Cocaine can be smoked on foil, a method known as “chasing the dragon.” Compared to freebasing, this method results in a milder high and a softer crash, making it easier to maintain control. Additionally, chasing the dragon is less harsh on the lungs than freebasing.
In this method, cocaine is placed on aluminium foil and heated from below so it can vaporize. The vapor is then inhaled through a tube. It’s important to regulate the heat carefully to ensure the cocaine vaporizes rather than burns.
The cocaine should melt slowly and evenly across the foil. The thicker the foil, the better it distributes the heat, reducing the risk of burning. Before use, burn off the anti-stick oil layer on the shiny side of the foil to avoid inhaling oil vapours.
There are many different ways to use cocaine
From Glass to Water Pipes
Apart from freebasing and chasing the dragon, there are various other smoking techniques.
A quick and simple method is smoking over a glass. A piece of foil is stretched over a glass with a hole on one side for inhaling and another hole on the opposite side for venting. Some ash and cocaine are placed on the foil, and the cocaine is then heated.
In prison, where materials are scarce, ingenious solutions are often devised, like converting a squeezed-out toothpaste tube into a pipe. Each method has its specific health risks, mainly from the material used, which can emit toxic fumes when heated, or from inhaling ash and other particles due to poor filtration.
A less harmful technique is using a water pipe, which can be purchased or made from a bottle and a few straws. The advantage is the filtration through water, which cools the air and traps ash and other particles, preventing them from entering the lungs. The downside is that a water pipe is not easy to conceal if the police suddenly appear.
Vaporizing
The relatively healthiest method for using freebase cocaine is smoking it through a vaporizer. A cocaine vaporizer is somewhat like a water pipe and consists of a water-filled bulb with two glass tubes. One tube has a heating element to vaporize the substance, and the other tube allows the cooled vapor to be inhaled through the water.
Vaporizing does not release harmful combustion by-products. The heating element can be set precisely to the melting point of freebase cocaine, allowing only the active substance to be inhaled as vapor. Additionally, like a water pipe, a vaporizer offers the benefit of cooling and filtering through water.
Snorting
Snorting cocaine is a well-known method where the drug enters the bloodstream via the nasal mucous membranes. The effects are noticeable within a few minutes and last longer than smoking or injecting but are less intense.
Snorting freebase cocaine is not effective as it doesn’t dissolve in water and thus isn’t absorbed through the nasal mucosa, resulting in a blocked nose with little effect.
Frequent snorting can cause inflammation or perforation of the nasal septum. Regularly alternating nostrils and rinsing the nose with water after snorting can mitigate some damage. Snorting can also lead to chronic respiratory infections, persistent colds, nosebleeds, headaches, and diminished sense of smell and taste. Sharing snorting tubes carries a risk of spreading infections.
Injecting
Cocaine can be injected by dissolving it in water. Raw/snortable cocaine is used for this, as freebase cocaine only dissolves in water with the addition of an acid (e.g., ascorbic acid). The high and the crash from injecting are comparable to freebasing but come with a much higher risk of infections and overdose.
If you choose to inject anyway, always use your own equipment to avoid HIV or hepatitis infection. Use sterile materials to prevent abscesses and other complications from dirt and bacteria. This applies to all injection equipment: the syringe, water, needle, filter, spoon, and alcohol swab.
Injecting involves taking a large amount at once, posing a higher overdose risk than any other method. It’s effective and efficient but also very risky. Lack of experience, reduced tolerance after detention or detox, or the combination of substances increases this risk.
A specific risk of injecting cocaine is skin necrosis, where the skin tissue dies if the cocaine is injected subcutaneously rather than intravenously. Cocaine’s local anaesthetic and vasoconstrictive effects can deprive the skin tissue of oxygen, causing dark patches. When injecting raw cocaine, it’s advisable to use some ascorbic acid to feel if you inject subcutaneously due to the acid’s irritation.
Swallowing
Few people swallow cocaine, unlike with amphetamines. Oral ingestion results in the lowest percentage of the drug entering the bloodstream. It also takes longer for effects to manifest, and the peak effect is lower, making it impractical for this expensive drug. Additionally, taking a large dose at once increases the overdose risk. This method is mainly seen in drug mules when a package bursts.
Rectal Use
Finally, cocaine can be administered rectally. The rectum is rich in blood vessels, ensuring good and rapid absorption. However, cocaine’s local anaesthetic and vasoconstrictive properties can pose risks to the rectal vascular system and can cause irritation and cramps.