Crack cocaine is a potent form of cocaine, which is a drug derived from the coca plant from south america. The sentencing disparities between crack and cocaine attn. A brief history of crack cocaine sentencing laws famm. I really saw this book as a story of a business, he said. This lively, well researched history of americas crack cocaine years introduces readers to. Racial disparity in crack cocaine sentencing unknown binding january 1, 1992 by marcia shein author see all formats and editions hide other formats and editions.
According to the us department of justice, crack cocaine is more psychologically addicting than powder cocaine, and is thus more likely to result in chronic and heavy use. Because crack and powder cocaine are two forms of the same drug, there should not be any disparity in sentencing between crack and powder cocaine offenses the only truly fair ratio is 1. Many people would steal or participate in other criminal activities to support the crack addiction. The federal antidrug abuse act of 1986, part of the war on drugs, established a disparity between the amount of crack and powdered cocaine. It causes a very abrupt increase in heart rate and blood pressure that can lead to heart attack and stroke even in young people with no history of vascular disease, sometimes the first time the drug is used. Under the 2010 law, the amount of crack that triggers the fiveyear minimum is 28 grams of crack or 500 grams of powder, and, for the tenyear minimum, 280 grams of crack and 5,000 of powder. Crack saw a boom in the mid1980s, which spiked in 1987. Crack cocain has barely any similarities to its powder form other than the name and the fact its a stimulant. Study identifies arrest risk disparity for cocaine use.
How todays opioid crisis is similar to the crack cocaine. If the crack epidemic was handled like the opioid epidemic is being handled, if there was never a 100. A complete history of crack cocaine march 28, 2018 substance abuse 0 comments crack cocaine, commonly shortened to crack, is a free base version of cocaine a drug that has been used in various forms in south america for centuries. Crack cocaine causes weight loss, high blood pressure, hallucinations, seizures, and paranoia. Crack cocaine is thought to be the most addictive form of cocaine 2. Data show racial disparity in crack sentencing us news. His death and fears of a crack cocaine epidemic lead congress to.
List of books and articles about cocaine online research. The extreme high experienced by crack cocaine users is also followed by an. Crack cocaine could be obtained for the same price at purities of around 80 percent. This issue is particularly relevant to the disparity inherent in mandatory sentencing and arbitrariness in sentencing, especially since dealers in powdered cocaine are much more likely higher up on the supply chain than distributors of crack cocaine ussc, 2007. People used to taking cocaine would take an equivalent amount of crack and overdose, and hospital admissions due to cocaine overdose doubled in a year. It shrinks the disparity in sentences for crack and powder cocaine offenses from 100 to 1 to 18 to 1. There are notable racial and ethnic disparities in cocaine use with whites more likely to report lifetime cocaine use i. Popular cocaine books meet your next favorite book.
The law also abolished a fiveyear mandatory minimum sentence for simple possession of crack cocaine. A commodity made from combining cocaine, baking powder and water, then cooking it. In 2010 congress passed the fair sentencing act, which repealed the mandatory minimum sentence for simple possession and reduced the sentencing disparity from 100. That resulted in a disparity with powder of about 18 to 1. The history of crack michaels house treatment centers. When a drug epidemic hit white america, addiction became a. The amount of powder cocaine necessary to trigger the sentence is still five kilos. The coca plant has been used as a stimulant by the native people of south america for many centuries, but it wasnt until 1859 that modern cocaine was developed as a drug in germany. Now, the ten year sentence is triggered by 280 grams of crack instead of 50. This resulted in a number of social consequences, such as increasing crime and violence in american inner city neighborhoods, as well as a resulting backlash in the form of tough on crime policies. Between 1982 and 1985, the number of cocaine users increased by 1. Disparity related to crime history of crack listen. While the use of coca leaves as an intoxicant dates back three thousand years, crack cocaine, a crystallized form of cocaine, was developed during the cocaine boom of the 1970s and its use spread in the. Why many black politicians backed the 1994 crime bill.
Crack cocaine became prevalent in the mid1980s and received massive media attention due in part to its exponential growth in the drug market. African americans, particularly in the inner cities of the united states, have experienced alarmingly high rates of imprisonment, violence, child neglect, and hivaids transmission due to their involvement with crack cocaine. Lawmakers rushed to establish the disparity and stiff sentences for crack cocaine in 1986 when the growing hysteria around the drugs emergence in urban communities climaxed because of the death of a college basketball star whose overdose, officials believed, was caused by crack cocaine. Why is there a sentencing disparity between possession of. Crack cocaine is one of the forms of cocaine base, which is produced from powder cocaine and is smoked. The book is a suitable companion to arnold washton and donna boundys cocaine and crack enslow, 1989, which takes a more chatty approach and has an effective combination of information and advice, as well as to gilda bergers crack, the new drug epidemic watts, 1987, which provides a good general discussion as well as an examination of dea. The demographic profile of cocaine offenders must be further examined to analyze any disparity in sentencing.
A complete history of crack cocaine drug rehab options. A comprehensive examination of the 100to1 crack versus powder cocaine sentencing disparity under which distribution of just 5 grams of crack carries a minimum 5year federal prisonsentence, while distribution of 500 grams of powder cocaine carries the same 5year mandatory minimum sentence. The crack epidemic in the united states was a surge of crack cocaine use in major cities across. Participants focused on the disparity in crack cocaine sentences to powder cocaine sentences, and ways to change the 100 to 1 ratio. By 1985, cocainerelated hospital emergencies rose by. The fsa changed this socalled 100toone disparity to a disparity of 18toone. The history of crack use, when compared to that of other drugs like opiates, marijuana or cracks parent drug cocaine, is like an infant among elders. Berman says harsher penalties for crack cocaine stem from the high crime rates resulting from the crack epidemic of the mid to late 1980s. Crack cocaine has negatively impacted the african american community in a multitude of ways. Crack is highly, highly addictive unlike normal cocain. In addition, the drug is more commonly associated with systemic violence than its counterpart.
Investigative reporter gary webbs audacious dark alliance. Dea history in depth 19851990, the crack epidemic at the dea. In the book, farber writes, as a commodity, crack was the perfect narcotic for people. Rock cocaine, street capitalism, and the decade of greed. Writer and lawyer michelle alexanders book the new jim crow. Black americans supported the 1994 crime bill, too. The cobra by frederick forsyth, crank by ellen hopkins, novel with cocaine by m. Crack cocaine, also known simply as crack or rock, is a free base form of cocaine that can be smoked.
Crack cocaine was first introduced to the united states in the early 1980s, going on to become an epidemic with millions of users and contributing to. Americas crack epidemic examined in new book medical xpress. In arizona, which has a 12to1 disparity, nine grams of powder cocaine or less than a. The true story of the 1980s crack epidemic is still untold. Enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to. The disparity in cocaine penalties grew out of the skyrocketing use of crack in the 1980s and the trends in violence that accompanied it, especially in urban areas. Crack cocaine magnifies the effects of cocaine and is considered to be more highly and more quickly addictive than snorted cocaine. In 2010, president barack obama signed a law repealing one of the most controversial policies in american criminal justice history. As crack cocaine grew in popularity, the drug devastated a nation. Fair sentencing act american civil liberties union.
Despite this history, the crackpowder sentencing disparity would, over the next quarter century, become one of the lefts favorite examples of americas racist criminal justice system. The explosive popularity of crack cocaine was associated with its cheap price, which for the first time made cocaine available to a wider economic class. The crack epidemic in the united states was a surge of crack cocaine use in major cities across the united states between the early 1980s and the early 1990s. Congress is considering a bill to change drug laws that punish crack cocaine violations more severely than those for powder cocaine. The law produces fairer sentences for approximately 2,000 federal crack offenders each year.
The manual of adolescent substance abuse treatment calls it the most addictive form of cocaine. Crack epidemic united states history 1980s britannica. The difference between powder cocaine and crack cocaine. The crack epidemic the history of crack cocaine drug. Crack first saw widespread use as a recreational drug in primarily impoverished neighborhoods in new york city, philadelphia, baltimore, washington, d. Cocaine can make a person feel full of energy, but also restless, scared, or angry. Offenders with zero criminal history points were still successful three years after release 92% of the time.
Smoking crack leads to an increased risk of sexually transmitted disease and sexually risky behavior 4. Crack could also be smoked much more easily, requiring a temperature of only 194f to vaporize. Cracking the racial disparity for cocaine sentencing. The federal antidrug abuse act of 1986, part of the war on drugs, established a disparity between the amount of crack and powdered cocaine needed to trigger certain criminal penalties at a. In 2010, the fair sentencing act cut the sentencing disparity to 18. Crack cocaine, rap music, and the war on drugs alternative. Symptoms of crack cocaine use can be differentiated between the results of short and longterm abuse. Cocaine and its exquisitely addictive influence stand as such powerful points of reference in american culture that when a 20 study suggested that oreo cookies were as addictive as cocaine, the findings made thousands of headlines, according to the huffington post. In 2010, 85% of the arrested crack smokers were black men.