Number of Americans who used crack in the past month 2009-2023

In 2023, it was estimated that around 507 thousand people in the United States used crack in the past month. Crack cocaine is the solid form of cocaine, and it is typically smoked to give an instant but short euphoric high. Crack is highly addictive and a rise in its use in the 1980s and early 1990s was associated with an increase in crime and violence in parts of the United States as well as stricter drug policies and an increase in incarceration rates. 

How many people have used crack?

It is estimated that as of 2023, around 9.9 million people in the United States had used crack in their lifetime. However, the use of cocaine, the powder form of crack that is usually snorted but can also be injected, is much more common than crack. It is estimated that over 42 million people have used cocaine in their lifetime, making it the second most-used illicit drug in the United States. Marijuana is by far the most used illicit drug in the United States.

Opioids: The newest drug epidemic

Although the United States experienced a crack epidemic in the 1980s and early 1990s, crack is no longer the most feared drug in the country. Opioids now account for the vast majority of drug overdose deaths in the U.S. with the country currently experiencing what has been called an opioid epidemic. In 2021, there were just over 80,400 deaths due to opioid overdose in the United States, the highest number ever recorded. Although the origins of the opioid epidemic lie in misrepresentation and over prescription of opioids by pharmaceutical companies and physicians, illegally manufactured fentanyl, an extremely potent synthetic opioid, now accounts for most opioid overdose deaths.