A form of heroin called white heroin, is easily mistaken for cocaine and people have died or been hospitalised after snorting it thinking it was cocaine. It is always best not to use drugs alone but with people you trust, who have knowledge of first aid and who will seek medical help for you if necessary.

Never share injecting or snorting equipment. Speedballing (injecting a mixture of cocaine and heroin) can have fatal results. Cocaine can vary a lot in purity so be sure to start with a small dose. It's also easier to overdose from injecting cocaine.

Sharing needles or other injecting equipment can spread HIV and hepatitis infections too. To snort crack cocaine, a crack crystal simply has to be broken up before it’s inhaled through the nose. Injecting cocaine can damage veins and cause ulcers and gangrene. Crack cocaine is a central nervous system stimulant drug that’s considered the most addictive form of cocaine.While smoking crack is the top method of abuse, snorting it can also lead to drug addiction. Regularly smoking crack can cause breathing problems and pains in the chest. Taking cocaine when pregnant can damage your baby, cause miscarriage, premature labour and low birth weight. Heavy users can lose this cartilage and end up with one large nostril and a misshapen nose. Over time, snorting cocaine damages the cartilage in your nose that separates your nostrils. Injecting cocaine can damage veins and cause ulcers and gangrene. The risk of overdose increases if you mix cocaine with other drugs or alcohol. Taking cocaine when pregnant can damage your baby, cause miscarriage, premature labour and low birth weight. Cocaine is risky for anyone with high blood pressure or a heart condition, but even healthy young people can have a fit, heart attack or stroke after using the drug.

Can you shoot crack cocaine