Crack crisis in Paris: a drug “pebble” at the origin of the evil
By Living Samuel
Published on
The consumption of crack in the northeast of Paris has become a dead end in which the authorities stumble each year, from dismantling to dismantling. An immense crisis caused by this small yellowish pebble, of a handful of milligrams. Back to this derivative of the cocaine arrived in France in the 80s via the West Indies.
From cocaine to “pebble”
“Crack” is music: a signifier produces the characteristic noise produced by the combustion of cocaine in its smokable form. They would be 13,000 to consume it in Ile-de-Franceaccording to data collected by the OFDT (French Observatory of Drugs and Addictive Trends) in 2019.
But before being inhaled, cocaine must undergo a transformation, otherwise its pharmacological properties will be degraded once heated. A “gastronomy” be carried out simply on the spot, Parisby the manufacturers or by the users themselves, to produce this “based” cocaine.
Concretely, the white powder is first crushed and then mixed with ammonia or bicarbonate to solder in a container. The mixture is then heated, solidifying into a ” Pebble “ which will then be rinsed with water and packaged for the market.
Crack, a poor man’s drug?
After division, the “galette” – a square with a side of one centimeter – is generally sold 15 to 20 euro the unit (0.20 grams) by the “module”, these dealers from West Africa. For larger quantities, we speak of “moon”, “apple” or even “wafer”, because of its circular appearance. According to the doses required for the study Crack in Ile-de-Francepublished in 2021, the average cocaine content of a cake is 53%.
This cut cocaine, home-made, therefore holds its reputation as a “poor man’s drug”, accessible through begging and petty theft. But in reality, it is nothing. Still according to the study Crack in Ile-de-Francethe average price per gram of crack is 135 euros versus 65 euros for powder cocaine, Paris. It’s all about quantity.
Crack versus “snorted” cocaine
burned in a blowjob – a pastis pod or other makeshift instruments – the consumption of crack is different from powdered cocaine. If both forms cause the same effects (feeling of well-being, euphoria, indifference to pain), crack unfolds like a Ferrari. When smoked, the crystals cause powerful psychological stimulations that bypass their peak after three to five minutes, against half an hour for cocaine powder, according to figures from the OFDT. A terribly addictive short Himalaya.
After the peaks comes the brutal descent phase. the central nervous system the overstressed by the drug must “rest”. The consumer then goes through episodes of anxiety and depression, even paranoid delusions depending on their level of consumption. As on the rails of a roller coaster, the psychological health of the user then erodes each day a little more under the battering of crack.
Was this article helpful to you? Note that you can follow Actu Paris in the My Actu space. In one click, after registration, you will find all the news of your favorite cities and brands.