“Crack” cocaine is cocaine that was heated until it became solid. Because it looks just like a small rock or a piece of gravel that can be found on the ground, a piece of crack is referred to as a “rock”.
Cocaine, especially in powder form, is usually mixed or cut with other substances to “stretch” the supply. Not anyone buying this mixture really knows how much cocaine may actually be present. Additionally, the buyer may not know what the cocaine has been mixed with.
This is why cocaine is often mixed with water, then “cooked”. The cooking gets rid of anything that was mixed with the cocaine, and what is left is a solid piece of almost pure cocaine. Since most packaged powder cocaine is more “mix” than cocaine, the small amount of crack cocaine that remains after cooking is usually not very big. It may no larger than an English pea, if even that big.
Because of this, it is not unusual to see a user smoking several small pieces of “crack”. Usually, this is done by putting the “rocks” in a pipe. Because each piece may contain different levels of cocaine, and because the cocaine itself is purer, the chances for overdosing, even on the first time, are very possible. “Crack” is more addictive than cocaine in other forms. That does not mean there are any “good” forms of cocaine. It’s all bad, no matter if it’s powder, liquid, and solid, whatever.
Crack is not “whack”. It is dangerous, it is addictive, and it can kill.