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# TIME Explains: Crack Cocaine's Comeback

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<!-- video src="https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/xLwdrTNH.m3u8" -->
## Video: TIME Explains: Crack Cocaine's Comeback

[Watch (HLS stream): TIME Explains: Crack Cocaine's Comeback](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/xLwdrTNH.m3u8) (1:30)

![TIME Explains: Crack Cocaine's Comeback](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/xLwdrTNH/poster.jpg?width=720)

_Published 2013-11-05. Embattled Toronto Mayor Rob Ford said he will not step down after admitting to smoking crack cocaine Tuesday._


---

Jul 27, 2023 3:54 PM UTC

---

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---


## Transcript

>> The highly addictive substance known as, crack cocaine, has surfaced in the news again. Here's what you need to know. This time, with the admission by Toronto Mayor, Rob Ford, that he has used the drug in the past.

>> Do you smoke crack cocaine?

>> Exactly. Yes, I have smoked crack cocaine.

>> Ford has been hounded in the media for allegations of crack use. But it is far from the first time the drug has made the news. In fact, crack, a type of cocaine that is commonly processed by mixing it with sodium bicarbonate, and watered, then heating, first appeared more than 30 years ago, as a cheap alternative to its original form. When sold, the drug can cost as little as $ 5 or $ 10 for small amounts. However, unlike the typical use of powdered cocaine, crack is smoked, delivering the drug directly to the lungs, resulting in a more intense and more addictive high. Trims in crack use peaked in the 1990's and have been declining since, but is still alarmingly high.

In 2009, crack accounted a 10 percent of the 29, 000 people arrested for drug offenses in the United States, according to the Bureau of Justice's statistics. It is unclear, whether or not Ford will face any charges behind his admission of his crack use, or if he will be forced to resign. But Toronto is left to decide if they will continue to follow a politician, who has an immediate link to this kind of drug.

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