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Harm reduction advice based on laboratory analysis of crack cocaine adulteration
Jenny Scott, Senior Lecturer in Pharmacy Practice, Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, University of Bath
Abstract
Anecdotal reports from Drugs & Homeless Initiative (DHI)
clients suggested that crack cocaine obtained in Swindon (UK) was of
low quality. It was suggested that more factual information about the
content and quality of local crack cocaine would inform harm reduction
advice and allow users to make informed choices about its use. This
laboratory study analysed 50 substances sold in Swindon as crack
cocaine rocks to see if they contained crack (base) or salt form and
how much. We also looked for contaminants. The presentation will
describe the analytical methods. We found 76% of rocks contained
cocaine base, the average purity was 39%; 4% of rocks contained salt form cocaine 20% did not contain any cocaine.
Contaminants could be identified in 36 (90%) of the cocaine samples.
Phenacetin was the most common (81%) which is potentially harmful to
kidneys Phenacetin to cocaine ratio ranged from 0.3:1 to 2.5:1 w/w.
Although the data is not novel in the analytical sense
- the contaminants are previously reported in the literature and
purity data is available, the local context of the analysis is novel
and provides users with data from their own streets. Local harm
reduction messages can inform users that analysed crack was of low
cocaine content and may present a risk to kidney health.
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Biography
Jenny Scott is a pharmacist. She works as a senior lecturer
in Pharmacy Practice at the University of Bath. She has a long
standing research interest in safer injecting and needle exchange
practice. More recent work has also looked at pharmaceutical care of
drug users and drugs service provision. She is also a non medical
prescriber and works for a local drugs service.
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