Action ‘needed’ to avert crack epidemic

Press, 6 August 1987, Page 2

Action ‘needed’ to avert crack epidemic

PA Wellington New Zealand will experience a “crack” epidemic in six months unless immediate action is taken, says the National Society on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence. Crack is a cocainederived drug and the most addictive of the cocaine group reported to date. Its use is a serious epidemic in North America, is becoming heavy in Europe, and has been reported in Australia. The society believes that New Zealand’s “too broad a base” of cannabis use gives the “worst possible setting” in which to combat a mounting infiltration of cocaine. The society’s spokesman, Mr Roy Johnston, said the North American epidemic of crack was about 12 months old.

The society’s experience “over many years” led it to believe that trends in North America’s drug scene “get here in about 18 months,” in spite of excellent police and Customs records in surveillance and control. Mr Johnston said that, in the United States, it had been established that those who had used cannabis were today’s “new cocaine victims.” “New Zealanders need to act immediately to avoid a crack epidemic such as that now grimly reaping its toll in the United States.” Parents were the first line of defence. The society wanted them to educate themselves and their children about crack, by joining the society’s parent groups. In a just-released pamphlet on the problem, the

society said crack was relatively inexpensive. It was highly compulsive because it created a “rush” so powerful that it kept users, even first-time users, focusing on the next “hit.” It had caused a wave of deaths in North America and was believed to have rocketed suicide figures to a high of 18 per cent of drug-related deaths. Crack is made by heating a mixture of normal cocaine with a mixture of chemicals. The concoction is dried and broken into tiny chunks that resemble rock candy. The society said that the light brown or beige pellets or “rocks” were placed in a plastic vial which sold for as little as SUSIO in the United States The “rocks” or pellets were smoked in a glass

pipe, sometimes in a joint or in a tobacco cigarette. The crack smoke reached the brain in less than 10s producing an instantaneous and intense cocaine high, lasting from 10 to 20 minutes. It was followed by a “crash” leaving the user paranoid and depressed — and “viciously craving more.” Crack was named by people working in the addictions area as “a user’s nightmare and a dealer’s dream,” said the society. Crack had a high emphysema and respiratory risk and could also produce chronic sore throats, hoarseness and shortness of breath. The drug threw the cardiovascular system into turmoil. Blood vessels rapidly constricted and the user became a prime candidate for respiratory failure.