title: Crack use in São Paulo.
abstract: Documented crack use emerged in São Paulo, Brazil, from 1991 onward. Therefore, it is a recent behavior among drug users. The present work draws a profile of São Paulo crack users, employing an ethnographic approach. Twenty-five crack users were interviewed on selected social and demographic characteristics, on the drug itself and its consumption, and on the consequences of this use. Crack cocaine is harmful for the user, leading within a short period to a condition of dependence. The crack users reported ultimately lapsing into "marginality" due to social isolation, neglect of bodily needs, and breakdown of family ties and other relationships.
authors.affiliation: CEBRID-Brazilian Center for Information on Psychotropic Drugs, Departamento de Psicobiologia, Escola Paulista de Medicina, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Nappo
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Galduróz
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Noto
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D016578:Crack Cocaine; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D012923:Social Class; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D016578:Crack Cocaine