When you smoke crack, the pipe you use can burn or cut your mouth, especially if you use homemade pipes like inhalers, pop cans or ginseng bottles. If you have burns or cuts on your lips, you can get Hep C by borrowing, reusing or buying someone else’s pipe because there could be blood on it you can’t even see. It’s best to have your own pipe, or at least your own mouthpiece, and never share equipment, not even with your sexual partner.
Unfortunately, safer crack kits that have the materials to make a safer crack pipe are not available in all communities. Check with your needle exchange program or health centre to see if they have more information on how to smoke crack safely.
The harm reduction information that follows is offered as a public health service. Its purpose is not to encourage or condone the use or possession of illegal drugs. It is to help people make safer choices in their use of drugs that will reduce the spread of Hep C and HIV.
Pyrex pipe/glass stem
Thick Pyrex pipes are safer than other materials because they don’t get as hot as metal and don’t burn up and create toxic fumes like plastic. Thin glass bottles break easily, especially when heated up, and no one wants to suck on broken glass.
Metal pipe screen
Brass screens make the best crack screens. They’re heat resistant and don’t break down and release tiny fragments the way Brillo or steel wool does. When these fragments 
break off they can stick to the lips and the throat and cause burns or get into lungs and cause damage. Whatever filter is used, it should be changed often so that it doesn’t come loose and get sucked into the throat where you can choke on it.
Mouthpiece
Putting a mouthpiece on the mouth-end of the pipe can insulate your lips from burns and protect them from getting cut. You can also use lip balm to help protect your lips from damage and to help them heal.
Plan ahead
Crack can make some people horny and others more passive when it comes to sex, so carry condoms with you. That way, if you have sex you won’t get a sexually transmitted infection like HIV and you won’t get pregnant.
Also, think about what will happen when you come down from your high. Will you be hungry? Will you need a place to sleep? Try to make sure you have some food and a safe place to rest. If you can, try to budget so your rent and bills are paid before you buy your drugs. Some people try to set limits on how much they’ll use. This will make the crash easier to bear. Talk to your local needle exchange staff for more information on this.
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