Freebasing was a method of
smoking cocaine in the late
seventies. It is thought that freebasing was popularized by
drug traffickers as a means of testing their international
purchases. It is not uncommon for people to die of
heart attack while freebasing. Freebasing introduces a very high concentration of
cocaine into the
bloodstream which can overtax the
cardiovascular system.
The base is made from the
hydrochloride using
volatile chemicals, usually
ether. It is a very
dangerous process and one that is really easy to mess up.
Crack cocaine was introduced in the summer of 1985 to put an end to freebasing. Crack is a safer way of freebasing...still not safe, but safer. There is a lesser chance of
chemicals blowing up in the user's face (see above).