Cocaine, one of the oldest known drugs, is a powerfully addictive stimulant, which has been inhaled, smoked, injected, and ingested orally. The predominant route of administration (method of use) has changed over time. For much of the 20th century, inhaling (or “snorting”) cocaine in its powder form was the most common route of administration. However, in the early 1980s, a potent, smokeable form of cocaine known as “crack” was developed. Since smoking crack cocaine was less expensive and also provided a more immediate and intense effect than inhaling powder cocaine, crack rapidly became the most commonly used form of the drug in the United States.
Trends in cocaine addiction treatment admissions —including admissions by route of administration—can be monitored with the Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS). TEDS is an annual compilation of data on the demographic characteristics and substance abuse problems of those admitted to substance abuse treatment, primarily at facilities that receive some public funding. TEDS records represent admissions rather than individuals, as a person may be admitted to substance abuse treatment more than once during a single year. This report examines admissions to substance abuse treatment in which cocaine was the primary substance of abuse. Specifically, this report compares trends in admissions to substance abuse treatment for two routes of cocaine administration, smoked and inhaled, between 1995 and 2005.
Admissions to substance abuse treatment in which cocaine was the primary substance of abuse decreased from 1995 to 2005. The number of admissions decreased from 278,400 in 1995 (17 percent of all admissions) to 256,500 in 2005 (14 percent of all admissions).
Among admissions to substance abuse treatment in which cocaine was the primary substance of abuse, smoking was the most frequent route of administration of the drug in each year from 1995 to 2005. The proportion of primary cocaine admissions who smoked the drug, however, declined during this period from 79 percent of admissions for primary cocaine abuse in 1995 to 73 percent in 2005.
Inhalation was consistently the second most frequent route of administration for cocaine from 1995 to 2005. In contrast to smoking, the proportion of primary cocaine admissions who inhaled the drug has increased since 1995, from 14 percent of admissions for primary cocaine abuse in 1995 to 22 percent in 2005.
