Preparation
and Processing

Preparation

Sniffing coke is a white crystalline powder that dissolves well in water. This makes it suitable for snorting: it dissolves in the nasal mucosa and is then absorbed into the bloodstream. The water solubility also makes sniffing coke suitable for injection.

However, ‘sniffing coke’ is not suitable for smoking. It will burn before the active substances evaporate. Smoking ‘sniffing coke’ is, therefore, a waste, as you inhale mostly combustion gases and not the active substances.

Smokable base coke is made by cooking ‘sniffing coke’ with ammonia or bicarbonate of soda. This process changes the cocaine hydrochloride into a basic substance (pH > 7) that is smokable. The active substances evaporate just below two hundred degrees Celsius. Smokable coke is known by names such as cooked coke, base coke, bori, and crack.

Base coke can be converted back into raw coke by adding an acid, such as ascorbic acid or citric acid.

Bicarbonate of Soda Method

Bicarbonate of soda (sodium bicarbonate, NaHCO3) is the same as baking soda and is available at pharmacies.

In the bicarbonate of soda method, you dissolve two parts coke with a maximum of one part bicarbonate of soda in a deep spoon with enough water. You then heat the mixture. After heating, a foam of carbon dioxide forms, which slowly subsides. The coke base floats to the top as an oily layer. By touching the oil with a piece of cold metal, such as a knife tip, the base clumps together into white chunks. Pour off the water and heat the coke again to evaporate the water from the base coke.

Ammonia Method

Ammonia is a solution of ammonia (NH3) in water and is available in supermarkets. In the ammonia method, you submerge the coke in a spoonful of ammonia. When heated, the coke quickly floats to the top as an oil, just like with bicarbonate of soda. By touching the oil with a cold metal object, the base clumps together. Pour off the remaining ammonia and heat the base coke again with clean water.

Boiling with water afterwards removes most of the ammonia from the pores of the coke molecules. Drying the lump, for example with a coffee filter, removes even more ammonia. In practice, some ammonia often remains in the base coke.

Ammonia gas is toxic and can cause additional health problems. Therefore, from a health perspective, the bicarbonate of soda method is certainly preferable. Prolonged use of base prepared with ammonia leads to respiratory irritation and causes breathlessness, inflammation, and asthmatic attacks. People with a predisposition to asthma are especially affected.

Some prefer the ammonia method over the bicarbonate of soda method due to the supposed time savings. However, the optimal ammonia method (as described here) takes at least as much time as the bicarbonate of soda method. If you still choose the ammonia method, do not inhale the first vapours. This allows the ammonia gases to evaporate.

Cutting Agents

On the way from the laboratory to the user, cocaine is cut with various substances to increase profit margins. Common cutting agents are sugars (mannitol and sucrose), local anaesthetics (lidocaine), and medications (paracetamol, phenacetin, and levamisole).

The cocaine sold in the Netherlands has had a constant purity for a long time, averaging between sixty and seventy percent. When cooking raw coke into base coke, you remove sugars like mannitol and sucrose. However, substances like phenacetin and levamisole, which are now commonly used as cutting agents, are not removed by cooking.

Levamisole

The percentage of cocaine samples in which levamisole has been found has increased significantly: from 0.2 percent in 2004 to 30 percent in 2019. Users of coke have a chance of also ingesting levamisole. There is no acute danger, but levamisole can cause nausea, diarrhoea, and headaches. Prolonged and frequent use of coke with levamisole increases the risk of the blood disease agranulocytosis. This condition involves a severe decrease in white blood cells, significantly reducing resistance to infections. The disease develops gradually, and the symptoms are often vague: more frequent and/or persistent infections, sores, and fatigue. The likelihood of the disease being discovered at a late stage is high. Heavy users should take the symptoms seriously and discuss them with their doctor.