Crack - experiences and opinions please.

[Esla1986]

First time poster, long time lurker.

Around one month ago, one of our project managers (in the building trade) happen to mention that smoking cannabis, and now crack, is common in the industry. He said that it was because they struggle to get work in a 'normal job', so end up as casual labourers on building sites essentially. I was so shocked (about the crack)!

Then around 2 weeks ago, I recommended a plasterer that we used about 1 year (not work related), to someone. He happened to know this guy’s name (I live in a small city of around 600,000 people). He responded with, 'I wouldn’t hire him, you know that he is a crackhead?'. I actually could not believe it. Yes, he lives in a rough part of town, but I was sure that he must have the wrong guy (family man, mid -40s, 2 kids).

When I had hired the plasterer a year ago, he was recovering from a broken back as he had fallen from the roof of his outbuilding. The chap that I was speaking to then said 'he didn't fall of the roof; he jumped after getting high on crack, thinking that he was being chased!'

I have just been told my aunt, who lets out a flat in our city that she is trying evict her tenants as they are making crack and dealing it from the flat.

I am 33 years old and when I was young crack just was not around. I cannot believe how popular it seems to be now.

How sad for the individuals and communities.

Does anyone have similar experiences? Maybe it is just me and my town!

Thinking back, my decorator could well have been on it judging by how wonky the shelves are!

What's the latest thing then @AllWeHaveIsNow? He doesn't mean it as in it is a new thing - he means it's a current trend among his 17 year old peers whereas a couple of years ago it was spice and laughing gas

@nc600

What's the latest thing then *@AllWeHaveIsNow*? He doesn't mean it as in it is a new thing - he means it's a current trend among his 17 year old peers whereas a couple of years ago it was spice and laughing gas

I don't fucking know do I 😂😂😂? Just pointing out that ket has been around (and been snorted) by young people as a party drug for over a decade at least. I think probably more than that.

Crack, when I was a young 'un, was definitely not mainstream or a party drug, but it was around. The op is asking when it went mainstrean I think. You popped up to say "it's been around for ages, the latest thing is snorting Ketamine ". I was pointing out that crack being mainstream, I THINK, is new, but snorting ket at parties, among young people, is not . Hope that clarifies for you.

i think part of the problem is that there is an entire generation of younger, now working , people, for whom "normal" life goals are completely out of reach.

i have a family member working in a skilled trade at £9ph. that's the going rate around the area. he spent years gaining those skills, being paid fuck all on apprentice wages. time pressure on building sites has got worse; the quality of apprentices has got a lot worse.

to put it into perspective, my family member has repeated said something like: "we used to get good guys who did ok at school, but didn't like the idea of working in an office. often, their dad was a plumber/spark/plasterer/joiner. now we get the guys who should probably be in some young offenders-type programme".

basically, the apprentices (who aren't even paid NMW!) are treated like shit. they work in cold, early, dark building sites, with no real hope of getting out of that life, never earning enough to even get a crappy newbuild like the ones they themselves work on!

The only things they have in a lot of their lives are a mobile phone contract, still living at mum and dads (if they're still together), and weed.

And that's the apprentices who will earn more one day.

What about the really desperate laborers who get treated worse, and paid worse, and don't even have a skill or qualification to work towards?

I'm not saying they're all like that but the lack of union strength, worsening building site conditions, slave labour wages, and a generation for whom the 2007/8/9 economic crash pushed even further away from being able to "start an adult life" like previous generations..

it's a wonder more aren't smoking crack at every chance they get!!!!

Never known anyone who admitted to smoking crack.

I have just been told my aunt, who lets out a flat in our city that she is trying evict her tenants as they are making crack and dealing it from the flat Surely the answer to this one is simple: call the police, let them be arrested for dealing and hopefully put in prison if proved. Cheaper than eviction.

Crack is everywhere - it's incredibly cheap and very accessible sadly. It's no longer really regarded as a 'dirty' drug as much as it used to be. Not a nice thing to be doing.

I've not heard that drugs are particularly prevalent in construction before.

Also wanted to add:

There are no working from home for the construction site guys.
It's typically early starts (7.30am or 8am is standard, no matter if you live 1.5hrs away from the site).
They don't have lunchtime yoga sessions.
Nor a wellbeing mental health officer running workshops.
No coffee breaks outside the break times, where you sit in a cold cabin - and if you have a 15min break and you're a 7 minute walk away... well, you get a 2 min break really.

In my family member's case, if you get a working toilet on site that's usually a good sign. Somewhere with soap to wash your hands is brilliant.

I don't think most of MN understands how disempowered or disenfranchised building site work often is.

I personally haven't ever worked on one but family members do/have and it's fucking terrible, yet their voices (the ones unions are supposed to fight for) aren't heard.

"I don't fucking know do I 😂😂😂? Just pointing out that ket has been around (and been snorted) by young people as a party drug for over a decade at least. I think probably more than that.

Crack, when I was a young 'un, was definitely not mainstream or a party drug, but it was around. The op is asking when it went mainstrean I think. You popped up to say "it's been around for ages, the latest thing is snorting Ketamine ". I was pointing out that crack being mainstream, I THINK, is new, but snorting ket at parties, among young people, is not . Hope that clarifies for you."

Erm....you ok? Maybe chill pills are more your thing

A bracing long walk in the countryside or on a beach is my crack. I've never touched drugs apart from a few gin and tonics on a weekend

Crack is a smokable and injectable form of cocaine...
I read that the difference between the two forms is the 'speed of effect'

Snorting a line or three is very Primrose Hill, but crack smoking delivers the drug very fast {never done it} to the lungs-bloodstream.

It used to be called ''Freebase'' in USA.

Crack is a way of burning through money very fast.

Many drug users are in Building trades/professions..We had a dentist who was a heroin smoker... and their dealer used to turn up at the surgery {according to the nurse I knew}.

You'd not want to be worked on by a withdrawing dentist....
I'd be wary of employing a drug user in case they stole, but if their work was exceptionally good, I might consider it.

My friend had beautiful building work done by a man who sadly died as a result of his addiction.

I've seen a lot of people recreationally using drugs over the years: weed, coke, speed, tablets, ketamine, trips but never crack.

I will never forget being on a night out with friends from work in a call centre and someone asking me if I knew of any drug dealers I didn't.
They all then disappeared off to take MCAT.......I declined and hid in a corner with the only other colleague who didn't wan't to take it!

I remember in the early 00's having a friend who would take Ketamin, he was always adamant that I wasn't allowed any and I am quite grateful to him for protecting me from it. He was from a very well to do family but had had a strong of mental health problems......we drifted apart but I often wonder how he is doing these days. I hope he is ok.

There was an interesting study done by kings college London on the effects of cocaine on eels in the Thames- Londoners use of the class A drug throughout the week meant levels were consistently found in waste water. Drugs are everywhere.

I don’t know about crack but a couple of weeks ago my DH mentioned that pretty much every trades van he walks past stinks of very strong weed nowadays! Since then I’ve been paying attention and noticing the same.

DH works in industry around serious heavy machinery and was shocked that some people seem to be smoking weed before work (it would be gross misconduct in his industry) but I suppose it’s a bit of a scale - less worrying for a plasterer than a scaffolder?

Just pointing out that ket has been around (and been snorted) by young people as a party drug for over a decade at least. I think probably more than that.

Ketamine was part of squat rave culture 20-25 years ago!

@FannieMae84

i think part of the problem is that there is an entire generation of younger, now working , people, for whom "normal" life goals are completely out of reach.

i have a family member working in a skilled trade at £9ph. that's the going rate around the area. he spent years gaining those skills, being paid fuck all on apprentice wages. time pressure on building sites has got worse; the quality of apprentices has got a lot worse.

to put it into perspective, my family member has repeated said something like: "we used to get good guys who did ok at school, but didn't like the idea of working in an office. often, their dad was a plumber/spark/plasterer/joiner. now we get the guys who should probably be in some young offenders-type programme".

basically, the apprentices (who aren't even paid NMW!) are treated like shit. they work in cold, early, dark building sites, with no real hope of getting out of that life, never earning enough to even get a crappy newbuild like the ones they themselves work on!

The only things they have in a lot of their lives are a mobile phone contract, still living at mum and dads (if they're still together), and weed.

And that's the apprentices who will earn more one day.

What about the really desperate laborers who get treated worse, and paid worse, and don't even have a skill or qualification to work towards?

I'm not saying they're all like that but the lack of union strength, worsening building site conditions, slave labour wages, and a generation for whom the 2007/8/9 economic crash pushed even further away from being able to "start an adult life" like previous generations..

it's a wonder more aren't smoking crack at every chance they get!!!!

I know a young man who got good CGSE's, but wanted to go into a specific skilled trade. He did the relevant qualifications, but as you say, the ''Apprenticeships'' were pretty dire. Dreadful pay, and not being taught much, but being used as a sweeper upper. He went overseas, and worked on some really lovely buildings in Whistler, BC. Trades are well paid there.

Luckily he got a placement that was good back in UK, and is now self employed.

But it was a hard slog.

He employed me for three weeks to do some basic work, and it was early starts, no lunch breaks, and working flat out all day with a mask and ear defenders.
I enjoyed it, and really have respect for on good site labourers, they earn their money.

@nc600

"I don't fucking know do I 😂😂😂? Just pointing out that ket has been around (and been snorted) by young people as a party drug for over a decade at least. I think probably more than that.

Crack, when I was a young 'un, was definitely not mainstream or a party drug, but it was around. The op is asking when it went mainstrean I think. You popped up to say "it's been around for ages, the latest thing is snorting Ketamine ". I was pointing out that crack being mainstream, I THINK, is new, but snorting ket at parties, among young people, is not . Hope that clarifies for you."

Erm....you ok? Maybe chill pills are more your thing

Gaslighter

@DuDuDuLangaLangaBingBong

Just pointing out that ket has been around (and been snorted) by young people as a party drug for over a decade at least. I think probably more than that.

Ketamine was part of squat rave culture 20-25 years ago!

Ah there we are then! I thought it was an older thing. I'm sure there was an Alan Partridge sketch with it in there, which was definitely not today or yesterday. Showing my age a bit!

@nc600

"I don't fucking know do I 😂😂😂? Just pointing out that ket has been around (and been snorted) by young people as a party drug for over a decade at least. I think probably more than that.

Crack, when I was a young 'un, was definitely not mainstream or a party drug, but it was around. The op is asking when it went mainstrean I think. You popped up to say "it's been around for ages, the latest thing is snorting Ketamine ". I was pointing out that crack being mainstream, I THINK, is new, but snorting ket at parties, among young people, is not . Hope that clarifies for you."

Erm....you ok? Maybe chill pills are more your thing

I especially enjoyed how you cut off my smiley face at the end of that... you really are being extremely odd.

I knew someone who tried it once. This person had a very professional job, but enjoyed a variety of occasional drug use. They never really tried the same thing often, maybe coke three times a year, heroin twice in their entire life, mushrooms every few months, that kind of thing.

They said that crack was like absolutely nothing they had ever tried before. They had smoked it on the night and then gone to work the next day. All day at work, they had been thinking about the greasy residue left behind on the tinfoil that was still in their room. They spent the day worrying that their very straight laced flatmate would have gone into their room, found the tinfoil and decided to smoke the remains of it before they got home, depriving my friend of a small additional hit.

They never touched the stuff again, but it sounded evil.

@Nellodee

I knew someone who tried it once. This person had a very professional job, but enjoyed a variety of occasional drug use. They never really tried the same thing often, maybe coke three times a year, heroin twice in their entire life, mushrooms every few months, that kind of thing.

They said that crack was like absolutely nothing they had ever tried before. They had smoked it on the night and then gone to work the next day. All day at work, they had been thinking about the greasy residue left behind on the tinfoil that was still in their room. They spent the day worrying that their very straight laced flatmate would have gone into their room, found the tinfoil and decided to smoke the remains of it before they got home, depriving my friend of a small additional hit.

They never touched the stuff again, but it sounded evil.

Yes, the guy I mentioned up thread who also tried it just once, said similar. The most addictive thing he'd ever tried. It does sound like the worst one tbh.

Samuel L Jackson was still using crack in his 40's
Oprah was on crack in the 80's.

Ketamine has been in use since the 70's.

@Nellodee

I knew someone who tried it once. This person had a very professional job, but enjoyed a variety of occasional drug use. They never really tried the same thing often, maybe coke three times a year, heroin twice in their entire life, mushrooms every few months, that kind of thing.

They said that crack was like absolutely nothing they had ever tried before. They had smoked it on the night and then gone to work the next day. All day at work, they had been thinking about the greasy residue left behind on the tinfoil that was still in their room. They spent the day worrying that their very straight laced flatmate would have gone into their room, found the tinfoil and decided to smoke the remains of it before they got home, depriving my friend of a small additional hit.

They never touched the stuff again, but it sounded evil.

On a walk near Tetbury I saw drug litter dumped..Heroin and crack detritus.

Foil as you describe, with thick amber glassy lines on it .. It surprised me to see it so wantonly just left in the open...
They'd clearly driven to the site as well {a green lane}

It was cleansed up by my friend who went back later with her Marigolds.

Drugs are everywhere. From pretty villages to run down inner cities.

Didn't Kitkat change the packaging because the foil was being used to smoke crack?

I've never known a functioning employed crack head tbh. Are you sure he is not getting mixed up with cocaine, the cocaine usage is massive in every industry.
Most crack addicts end up there from a stint on heroin, their days are spent scrapping cash for drugs not plastering or legally employed.