Crack Cocaine Epidemic Of The 1980s

Most people have heard of the term "crack baby," but where does it come from? This term is another result of the heavily mis-conceptualized stereotypes that came out of the crack cocaine epidemic of the 1980s in America. Crack cocaine is a cheaper, more accessible, and highly addictive variant of regular cocaine. This difference in attainability wedged the gap and created the foundation that affected this period in history. The crack cocaine epidemic of the 1980s has vastly impacted black Americans by propagandizing black communities and behavior, and because of a biased justice system, many have been unfairly incarcerated. Cocaine has had a long history of usage outside of the recreational reputation it has gained in recent years. Cocaine,

Crack cocaine is a processed, solidified version of regular cocaine. While cocaine alone takes about 25 minutes for a user to achieve a high, crack cocaine does the same within 5 minutes. Typically, baking soda and water are added to cocaine, then it is boiled to become crystallized. Although the amount of cocaine is processed into a smaller dose, the steps taken to crystalize it make it more potent, and users can ingest less for the same high. During the early 1980s, the United States had war efforts in the South American nation of Nicaragua. America aimed to support rebels, called the Contras, but would not do so by directly funding them. Instead, they chose to fund them not with money, but with weapons. In return, the U.S. government allowed them to smuggle drugs, specifically cocaine. Contras began selling cocaine along the coast, in coastal cities such as Los Angeles, Oakland, Miami, and New York City. The price of cocaine versus crack cocaine made the difference in determining who could access it, and who it was marketed toward. Since crack cocaine circulated in urban areas, it became accessible to people with lower