Galveston County Daily News (Internet / Print) 03/24/06 (no weblink available) Guest Column by Dr. Kathryn Cunningham: In an article titled “Hit Them Hard” (The Daily News, March 18), the following statement was made: “…crack dealers will swallow their rocks when they see a police officer approaching. The rocks do not digest and can be passed through their bodies and sold again.” One possible interpretation of this statement is that the oral ingestion of crack cocaine is always a safe alternative to arrest. Oral consumption of crack cocaine is not safe. The medical consequences of crack ingestion depend upon the amount swallowed. Ingestion of larger quanities of crack rocks can be “digested” in the gastrointestinal tract. In these large ingestions, one can be at risk of severe intoxication, seizures, agitation and increased body temperature, for example.