Crack : American Pop Culture

Short term effects of meth include; loss of appetite, increased heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature. Other short term effects include; dilation of pupils, disturbed sleep patterns, nausea, panic and psychosis, hallucinations, hyperexcitability, irritability, and bizarre, sometimes erratic behavior. Long term effects of meth are; Permanent damage to blood vessels of heart and brain, high blood pressure leading to heart attacks, strokes, and death, liver, kidney, and lung damage. If this drug is sniffed it will lead to the destruction of the tissues in the nose. If this drug in smoked it will result in respiratory problems. If this drug is injected it will lead to infectious diseases, and abscesses. Other long term effects are; malnutrition, weight loss, severe tooth decay, disentoritation, apathy, confused exhaustion, strong psychological dependence, psychosis, depression, and damage to the brain will be done that is similar to alzheimer's diseases, stroke, and epilepsy. (Short Term & Long Term & Deadly Effects)

There are two ways that popular songs portray drugs there are the songs that glorify them and tell the story of the “party-life” and others tell the “after-story” that tell of the addiction, of hitting rock-bottom, of how it can ruin your life. More and more of the popular songs are pro-drugs and pro-“party-life” or they are slyly double sided such as Eminem’s Drug Ballad, songs that tend to be lesser known or less popular tell the story of the addiction, about hitting rock-bottom, and of recovery such as D.L. Downer A.K.A. James Williams’ Suga Boom Boom (Chasing Dragons). Drug Ballad, was released on May 23, 2000 in the album The Marshall Mathers LP (www.sing365.com). Suga Boom Boom (Chasing Dragons) was written and sung by D. L. Downer a.k.a. James Williams and his 16-year-old niece Laleazy was produced as a single by MajorEpic music label and was released on October 26, 2014. Both of these songs are within the rap and hip-hop genres. When analyzing and comparing and contrasting these two songs we need to consider why one is more popular than the other, why and how has drugs become such a prevalent problem, why are drugs portrayed differently, and how can we help those that are addicted and keep others from becoming addicted themselves.

Cocaine is another popular, illegal, street drug. Cocaine is snorted or smoked as "crack"(a cheaper and, as a result of

"Cocaine and crack are among the most addictive substances known to modern science, and they have already ruined the lives of millions of Americans" (Morganthau and Miller, 208). Cocaine and crack are both dangerous, harmful drugs. Though pleasurable effects can be obtained from these drugs, the use of crack and cocaine cannot be worth the actual consequences that are inflicted on mind and body. The bad effects of these drugs, by far outweigh the good. Because crack and cocaine are so closely related, it is important to have a firm understanding of both drugs.

The crack cocaine business continued to thrive. “Freeway Rick was at the top of his game and helping to spread crack across the country” (Planet Rock). In the beginning, crack had only been found by the DEA, to be isolated in seven major cities. Approximately a year after that, it was found to have spread to more than 40 different cities across the United States; including Dallas and Des Moines, Iowa (Planet Rock). It got to a point where people came from all over just to buy the drug. “It was kind of like exporting a business almost ...or exporting a product” (Planet Rock).

The short term effects of the crack includes: higher breathing rate, elevated blood pressure, soaring heart rate, compressed blood vessels, lack of appetite, dilated pupils, extreme euphoria for both casual and heavy users. The long term effects are the following: depression, violent, fearful performances, hallucinations, bad temper, psychosis, heart attack/stroke, sterility (for both men and women), brain convulsion, respiratory malfunction and even death for heavy users! Since crack cocaine is exceedingly addictive, addicts can easily build up tolerance and become addicted in a short time by smoking it constantly. There are many ways to take crack cocaine. Users can smoke through a hand pipe or a water pipe, snort, infuse through vein, or they can combine crack with marijuana, heroin etc (University Of Maryland). While taking crack, users face plenty of risks like: coughing, respiratory bleeding, out of breath, paranoia, lung trauma and many more (“Crack cocaine facts”). Dealers shipped crack cocaine from the Bahamas and the Caribbean to Miami, where the dealers would sell it for lower incomes (“A Complete History of Crack Cocaine”). Anyone can be addicted to crack cocaine – from adults to teens. Crack cocaine is most rampant in urban regions but addicts from rural areas can also be seen. Crack is highly addictive because a user trying for the first time becomes addicted to it and he uses it many times throughout the day. A single dosage is inexpensive but a crack

Dr. Jeffery Rosecan, director of the Cocaine Abuse Treatment Program at Colombia-Presbyterian Medical Center often describes crack addicts, often called “crack-heads” as follows, “They first start to suffer personality changes especially paranoia, then their lives start to fall apart, along with their relationships and they move into a life of emotional extremes, crime, illness, and possibly death.”

The most noticeable effects of methamphetamine are the change in the skin’s appearance. Some users have been known to feel insects crawling beneath their skin. “He picks and picks and picks at himself, like there are bugs inside his face,” the mother of one methamphetamine addict told The Spokesman-Review (Pbs.org, 2011). Some users are covered in small sores, the result of obsessive skin picking caused by hallucination of having bugs crawling beneath the skin, a disorder known as formication. While methamphetamine makes users feel more confident, attractive, and desirable, the drug is actually making them unattractive, sores take longer to heal, and the skin loses its luster and elasticity.

Pretty soon they’ll find themselves having to use crack just to feel “normal” again. This is the physical dependency stage. It occurs when the user has built up such a high tolerance from frequent usage, that their body basically forgets what is normal so they have to maintain a continuum of the drug to ward of the withdraw effects. As a result of usage, anxiety and depression can last for weeks. Attempts to stop using the drugs can fail simply because the resulting depression can be overwhelming, causing the addict to use more cocaine in an attempt to overcome his depression. This is the point in which you get the more stereotypical crack addict. They begin to steal from their family and friends, miss work/school, prostitute, and do just about anything they can to get the money to support their habit. They begin to short or try to get over on the person who is selling them drugs, which can result in violence. Some even become drug dealers themselves so that they can pay for the drugs that they use.

One of the main reasons people smoke crack is because they like the high that they get from it. However, a person is likely to experience depression after the high is gone. This is why many people continue using crack so that they can maintain the euphoric feeling.

In the 1980s, the United States has witnessed a scar that swept many Americans off their feet. The scar consisted of the effect that crack had on Americans in the 1980s. Many Americans believe that drugs are the main thing that is causing many social problems in society. For instance, in 2004, New York Senator Charles Schumer stated, “Twenty years ago, crack was headed east across the United States like a Mack truck out of control, and it slammed New York hard because we just didn't see the warning signs” (n.p). Therefore, crack was a serious problem during the 1980s and it was also destroying society. Due to the negative impact of crack, America began to create homeless addicts, crack babies, an increase in gang violence, and an increase

In the United States of America, we, the people value several things, some of which

Establishing the real facts about drug use is the first step in understanding the flaws inherent in the policy of prohibition.  First, cocaine is not an addictive drug, and according to a 1993 National Institute on Drug Abuse report, less than one percent of cocaine users become daily users.  Cocaine's non-addictive status comes from the fact that users who stop using it have no withdrawal symptoms, which is one of the three criteria to define something as addictive.  Like marijuana, cocaine only induces dependence, or a desire for use, much like chocolate.

Some short-term effects of taking this drug include an increase in wakefulness and physical activity, a decreased appetite, rapid heart rate, irregular heartbeat, increased blood pressure, hyperthermia, convulsions, and potential death. The pleasurable effects of meth are result from the release of very high levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine, which is involved in motivation, the experience of pleasure, and motor function. The elevated release of dopamine also contributes to the drug’s deleterious effects on nerve terminals in the brain. Some long term effects include anxiety, confusion, insomnia, paranoia, visual and auditory hallucinations, delusions, and mood disturbances and violent behavior. Some side effects include hyperactivity, dilated pupils, flushed skin, excessive sweating, increased movement, dry mouth and teeth grinding, headache, irregular heartbeat, rapid breathing, high blood pressure, low blood pressure, high body temperature, diarrhea, constipation, blurred vision, dizziness, twitching, numbness, tremors, dry skin, acne, and pale appearance. Other effects of abusing this drug include memory loss, aggression, psychotic behavior, damage to the cardiovascular system, malnutrition, and severe dental problems. Beyond these effects along the body and brain, methamphetamine abuse also threatens whole communities by causing new waves of crime, unemployment, child neglect or abuse, and other

The drug crack cocaine is the crystalized form of cocaine that normally comes in a powder form. Smoking crack cocaine, which is way stronger than crack itself, permits the drug to reach the brain faster which brings a strong and almost instantaneous high that endures for approximately fifteen minutes. Because crack cocaine addiction can develop quicker if the substance is smoked rather than inhaled, the user can develop an addiction after their first time even experiencing the drug. Crack cocaine has a high cost, while crack alone is traded at low cost. Once a crack cocaine user is addicted, the amount that they tend to use increases and the price also increases causes a direct struggle for funds in order to pay. The definitions of crack cocaine addictions can vary, but most incorporate the fact that as a staple norm the persistent use of a drug notwithstanding the presence of undesirable and damaging consequences and concerns for the user 's well-being, employment, financial stability, and relationships/associations. The significant component of crack cocaine is the users craving and loss of control, indicating the failure of the user to change their uncontrollable behavior. From doing research on this topic, I found that cocaine addiction was once assumed to be mainly mental in nature. In the book that we read in class, Fast Lives by Claire Sterk, she challenges the common misperceptions of crack cocaine and shows us through study that the common perceptions that we have