Considering that the drug pushers target the poorest of the poor for their crack cocaine, the methods of smoking crack vary, depending on how much the user has left to pawn to sustain their habit. Everyone is of course familiar with the fact that one of the ways of smoking crack involves the classic crack pipe made from glass. Colloquially it is sometimes referred to as a stem or horn, and believe it or not, it may sometimes be for sale in a head shop or other locale that sells legal smoking accessories. While there is no manual that teaches the next generation how to smoke crack, the newest users will rely on the local gang bangers or the drug pusher himself to show them the best way to smoke crack.

While many of the higher end pushers will not get involved with the drug themselves, the low end pushers who are trying to sustain a habit themselves will be happy to share their methods of smoking crack with the new buyers. Other ways of learning how to slowly kill yourself in such a way that has your organs and teeth rotting from the inside out, methods of smoking crack are sometimes also being taught in crack houses where the operators will have the drug for sale, as well as the accessories, and where you will be able to observe the different ways to smoke crack from those who have already lost their apartments, are now living on the streets, and just need a place where to experience the high until they go back out to rob, beg, steal, lie, and do whatever it takes to get enough money for the next trip.

For those who are gradually descending the socio economic ladders, the methods of smoking crack are somewhat different. A glass pipe may become an unattainable luxury, and thus they have found more innovative ways to smoke crack cocaine. Take for example the desperate user who is forced to hand over much of her earning to a pimp and is barely able to make enough money of her decaying body to keep her habit afloat. While a commercially available glass pipe may be a luxury she can no longer hope to attain, a stolen tire pressure gage with the top cracked off and the stick removed will provide a vessel. To avoid burning her lips, she might use cardboard around the mouth end. Insertion of a bit of Brillo pad in the middle will permit the crack to be held in place. Other methods of smoking crack involve the use of a soda can and other items found in the dumpsters and garbage cans around the crack house.