did crack start in oakland

When did crack become so addictive?

As early as 1980, reports of crack use were appearing in Los Angeles, San Diego, Houston and the Caribbean. The biggest surge in the use of the drug occurred during the “crack epidemic,” between 1984 and 1990, when the drug spread across American cities. The crack epidemic dramatically increased the number of Americans addicted to cocaine.

What is crack epidemic?

Crack epidemic, the significant increase in the use of crack cocaine, or crack, in the United States during the early 1980s.

Where does crack cocaine come from?

Crack cocaine first appeared in Miami, where Caribbean immigrants taught adolescents the technique of converting powdered cocaine into crack. The teenagers eventually introduced the business of producing and distributing crack cocaine into other major cities of the United States, including New York City, Detroit, and Los Angeles.

Why is it called Crack?

The name crack is attributed to the crackling noise that is made when the substance is smoked. Crack began to be produced in the early 1980s. The method is to dissolve cocaine hydrochloride into water with sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), which precipitates solid masses of cocaine crystals.

When did crack start?

What was the impact of the 1960s crack epidemic?

What rappers rap about crack?

When was cocaine a club drug?

What are some famous rappers who rap about crack cocaine?

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What the Crack Epidemic and Opioid Crisis Tells Us About Race in ...

mr robert vincent’s comment is somewhat on target. it is very fine to protest when there is injustice. and there is nothing in scripture that says we (blacks) cannot use avenues (legal) to fight injustice. but to desire the acceptance of white america is not only wrong, it’s (idolatry).

News: Editorial: The 1980s crack epidemic... (The Los Angeles Times ...

(The Los Angeles Times) Editorial: The 1980s crack epidemic was a fork in the road. America chose racism and prisons over public health. Associated research findings from the National Library of Medicine.

When was crack invented?

This was when crack was born. Crack first appeared in small batches in major cities in 1981. The police didn’t recognize this new rock-like material, but chemical analysis showed it was basically cocaine as freebase (rather than as the hydrochloride salt). As the technique spread, though, it gained more adherents.

When was crack cocaine last updated?

A Complete History of Crack Cocaine. Written by: Editorial Staff. Last updated on December 11, 2019. It was the scourge of the ’80’s and ’90s, but how did crack cocaine come about?

Why was cocaine banned?

Cocaine would be effectively banned by the Harrison act of 1914 and the Jones-Miller act of 1922, both passed as a result of increasing hysteria over cocaine use. However, that didn’t stop people from using it. While cocaine use dropped sharply after the 1922 act halted domestic cocaine extraction, US borders were fairly porous-after all, helicopters wouldn’t be used to patrol the US-Mexico border until 1979, and land vehicles were near useless thanks to the sheer length of the border-and this meant cocaine could travel through Central America to the States.

What percentage of cocaine was cut?

The issue was that when cocaine was sold, it was cut with around 45 percent filler. This could be anything from icing sugar to other drugs. Crack cocaine could be obtained for the same price at purities of around 80 percent. 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.

When was cocaine first discovered?

In 1855, it was extracted for the first time. The discovery of cocaine led to the discovery of other local anesthetics such as Novocain and lidocaine, as pharmacologists now knew what sort of compounds they had to create. It’s all about the shape of the molecule and how it interacts with the brain or local nerves, ...

When was cocaine extracted?

It’s a relative simple process, but it requires some time and needs certain materials that were not available until the early 19th century. In 1855, it was extracted for the first time.

Where does cocaine come from?

Cocaine comes from the leaf of the coca tree, which is grown in South America, normally Columbia, Bolivia and Peru. It has been used for millennia, and it was brought to Europe for study by the Spanish. Its euphoric and anesthetic properties were discovered around 1860, and it soon became widely available.

When did crack first appear?

History. The name "crack" first appeared in the New York Times on November 17, 1985. Within a year more than a thousand press stories had been released about the drug.

When did crack become epidemic?

By 1987, crack was reported to be available in the District of Columbia and all but four states in the United States. Some scholars have cited the crack "epidemic" as an example of a moral panic, noting that the explosion in use and trafficking of the drug actually occurred after the media coverage of the drug as an "epidemic".

What index was used to determine the effects of crack cocaine?

The same index used by Fryer, Levitt and Murphy was then implemented in a study that investigated the effects of crack cocaine across the United States. In cities with populations over 350,000 the instances of crack cocaine were twice as high as those in cities with a population less than 350,000. These indicators show that the use of crack cocaine was much higher in urban areas.

How much is crack worth?

Initially, crack had higher purity than street powder. Around 1984, powder cocaine was available on the street at an average of 55 percent purity for $100 per gram (equivalent to $249 in 2020), and crack was sold at average purity levels of 80-plus percent for the same price. In some major cities, such as New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Houston and Detroit, one dose of crack could be obtained for as little as $2.50 (equivalent to $6 in 2020).

What was the crack epidemic?

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. 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 ...

What cities were crack cocaine popular in?

Crack cocaine use and distribution became popular in cities that were in a state of social and economic chaos such as New York, Los Angeles and Atlanta.

How did the crack epidemic affect crime?

A 2018 study found that the crack epidemic had long-run consequences for crime, contributing to the doubling of the murder rate of young black males soon after the start of the epidemic, and that the murder rate was still 70 percent higher 17 years after crack's arrival. The paper estimated that eight percent of the murders in 2000 are due to the long-run effects of the emergence of crack markets, and that the elevated murder rates for young black males can explain a significant part of the gap in life expectancy between black and white males.

How long has crack been around?

CRACK COCAINE: A SHORT HISTORY. Crack was a dealer’s dream: it produced an instant high, and its users became addicted in a very short time. 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 ...

When did the UK crack epidemic start?

By 2002, the United Kingdom was experiencing their own “crack epidemic,” with the number of crack addicts seeking help climbing nearly 50% that year. The UK reported an increase of 74% in seizures of crack cocaine in drug raids between 2000 and 2006.

What happened to cocaine in the 1970s?

According to the US Drug Enforcement Agency, by the late 1970s there was a huge glut of cocaine powder being shipped into the United States. This caused the price of the drug to drop by as much as 80%. Faced with dropping prices for their illegal product, drug dealers converted the powder to “crack,” a solid form of cocaine that could be smoked.

What is crack cocaine?

Faced with dropping prices for their illegal product, drug dealers converted the powder to “crack,” a solid form of cocaine that could be smoked. Broken into small chunks, or “rocks,” this form of cocaine could be sold in smaller quantities, to more people at bigger profit.

When did the cocaine epidemic happen?

The biggest surge in the use of the drug occurred during the “crack epidemic,” between 1984 and 1990, when the drug spread across American cities. The crack epidemic dramatically increased the number of Americans addicted to cocaine. In 1985, the number of people who admitted using cocaine on a routine basis increased from 4.2 million to 5.8 million.

Where is the majority of cocaine found?

The majority of European crack cocaine users are located in three cities—Hamburg, London and Paris. But crack cocaine use has also been reported as a significant problem in three French overseas territories—Guadeloupe, French Guiana and Martinique—and in some communities in the Netherlands.

Where did crack cocaine originate?

Crack cocaine first appeared in Miami, where Caribbean immigrants taught adolescents the technique of converting powdered cocaine into crack. The teenagers eventually introduced the business of producing and distributing crack cocaine into other major cities of the United States, including New York City, Detroit, and Los Angeles.

Why is crack called crack?

The name crack is attributed to the crackling noise that is made when the substance is smoked. Crack began to be produced in the early 1980s. The method is to dissolve cocaine hydrochloride into water with sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), which precipitates solid masses of cocaine crystals. Unlike powder cocaine, crack was easier ...

How is crack cocaine made?

Crack began to be produced in the early 1980s. The method is to dissolve cocaine hydrochloride into water with sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), which precipitates solid masses of cocaine crystals. Unlike powder cocaine, crack was easier to develop, more cost efficient to produce, and cheaper to buy, which made it more economically accessible. Crack sold for anywhere between $5 and $20 per vial (a small capsule that contains pebble-size pieces of crack that were approximately one tenth of a gram of powdered cocaine). Crack cocaine was noted for its instantaneous and intense high, which kept users craving more, thus causing an upsurge in crack cocaine addictions. Between 1982 and 1985, the number of cocaine users increased by 1.6 million people.

What is the effect of crack cocaine on the body?

Between 1982 and 1985, the number of cocaine users increased by 1.6 million people. Crack cocaine causes weight loss, high blood pressure, hallucinations, seizures, and paranoia.

Why was crack cocaine popularized?

Crack cocaine was popularized because of its affordability, its immediate euphoric effect, and its high profitability. The crack epidemic had particularly devastating effects within the African American communities of the inner cities by causing the increase of addictions, deaths, and drug-related crimes. crack cocaine. Crack cocaine.

How much did a small time drug dealer make?

The rewards clearly outweighed the risks. A small-time drug dealer who sold crack daily earned a median net income of $2,000 per month.

When did crack cocaine increase crime?

The emergence of crack cocaine in the inner cities led to a drastic increase in crime between 1981 and 1986.

When was crack popularized?

While cocaine use was rampant throughout the 1970s and into the 1980s, most data shows that crack was not popularized until media outlets reported on it. Jumping on the opportunity to create a scare and therefore views, major news channels manufactured information about an epidemic, effectively mass-marketing a newer, stronger, and far more dangerous form of an already potent drug.

When was crack cocaine first introduced?

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 over 25,000 hospitalizations a year throughout the 80s and early 90s. Today, crack is less of a problem, but it still exists, and is just as dangerous today as it was then.

What was the cocaine epidemic in 1970?

The 1970s cocaine epidemic gave rise to increased production throughout South America, leading to a massive influx of product and falling prices. Faced with the prospect of losing money, drug dealers began converting cocaine powder into crack cocaine, a crystalized and much more potent version of the drug. This free-base cocaine provides a shorter but more intense high than the original cocaine powder, and during the height of the crack cocaine ‘epidemic’ could be purchased for as little as about $2.50 per gram (about $6 adjusted for inflation).

How did crack cocaine affect the urban community?

During the peak years of the crack cocaine epidemic, the drug was primarily distributed in inner-city neighborhoods, where dealers could easily sell quickly at a minimum price. This resulted in heavy distribution to families and households already vulnerable to addiction through stress and poverty and in turn generated a more than doubled homicide rate among impoverished black males aged 14-24, and a significantly increased crime rate.

How did crack cocaine affect the poor?

With an economic recession, poor prospects, and crack cocaine presented as an ‘easy’ way to make money – the drug became entrenched in poor neighborhoods, becoming influential in pop culture and dramatically affecting gang violence in black and Latino neighborhoods.

What is crack lung?

Crack Lung – Crack lung is the colloquial term for the respiratory difficulties caused by smoking crack. Users can have difficulty breathing, may develop pneumonia, may develop hemorrhaging, and may develop a pulmonary edema. This can be fatal. Adulterants – Most crack cocaine is adulterated to increase the weight of the drug and therefore ...

How long did the US prison for crack cocaine?

government had recognized the immense danger and impact of crack cocaine. Congress responded, passing a 100:1 sentencing disparity versus powder cocaine, with a minimum sentence of 5 years in prison for possessing 5 grams of crack cocaine. By the early 1990s, the police had become more militarized, ...

How long does it take for the CIA to report on crack?

CIA Director John Deutch, meanwhile, has ordered his inspector general to file a report on the subject within 60 days. The findings will be required reading for anyone concerned by the rise of crack, but given the CIA's habit of burying its own past, undoubtedly not the final word.

Who was the Johnny Appleseed of Crack?

According to the series, Blandon was ""the Johnny Appleseed of crack in California''--distributing thousands of kilos of Colombian cocaine to black dealers like Ricky Ross. Enter the CIA, which at the strenuous urging of its director, the late William J. Casey, was covertly supporting the war in Nicaragua during the early '80s.

Did the CIA know about the Nicaraguan connection?

Webb, citing an array of previously secret reports and sources, suggests that the CIA must have been aware of the Nicaraguan connection, which reportedly included shipments aboard Salvadoran Air Force planes to an unnamed U.S. Air Force base in Texas.

Who was arrested on Sept. 12?

A panel discussion on the Mercury Newws series drew an overflow crowd at the Washington Convention Center on Sept. 12, and comedian Dick Gregory and NAACP board member Joseph Madison were arrested during a demonstration at CIA headquarters on Sept. 11.

Who is Ricky Ross set up by?

There is a further twist. A decade after he allegedly retired from the crack business, Ricky Ross was set up by a DEA informant--Danilo Blandon. Ross now faces life in prison while Blandon, who served 26 months in jail for his own career in drug trafficking, is now at liberty in Managua.

Did the CIA play a role in the crack cocaine epidemic?

News. DID THE CIA PLAY A ROLE IN launching the crack-cocaine epidemic? A powerful series by investigative reporter Gary Webb of the San Jose Mercury News says the answer may be yes--and the charge, reviving old rumors about the agency's complicity in cocaine smuggling during the Reagan administration's covert war in Nicaragua, ...

How did the Contras get funded?

Between 1982 and 1984, Congress restricted funding for the Contras, and by 1985 cut it off entirely. The Reagan administration, undeterred, conspired to sell arms to Iran in exchange for hostages, using some of the proceeds to illegally fund the Contras. The scandal became known as Iran-Contra. Drug trafficking was a much less convoluted method of skirting the congressional ban on funding the Contras, and the CIA's inspector general found that in the early years after Congress cut off Contra funding, the CIA had alerted Congress about the allegations of drug trafficking. But while the ban was in effect, the CIA went largely silent on the issue. “CIA did not inform Congress of all allegations or information it received indicating that Contra-related organizations or individuals were involved in drug trafficking,” the inspector general's report found. “During the period in which the FY 1987 statutory prohibition was in effect, for example, no information has been found to indicate that CIA informed Congress of eight of the ten Contra-related individuals concerning whom CIA had received drug trafficking allegations or information.”

Who was the original source for the Contras?

Webb’s original anonymous source for his series was Coral Baca, a confidante of Nicaraguan dealer Rafael Cornejo.

How many drug offenders were in prison in 1980?

In 1980, there were roughly 40,000 drug offenders in U.S. prisons, according to research from The Sentencing Project, a prison sentencing reform group. By 2011, the number of drug offenders serving prison sentences ballooned to more than 500,000 -- most of whom are not high-level operators and are without prior criminal records.

Where did Levin track down Blandon?

The Managua lumberyard where Levin tracked down Blandon. Webb’s series connected the Contras' drug-running directly to the growth of crack in the U.S., and it was this connection that faced the most pushback from critics. While Blandon may have been operating on behalf of the Contras early in his career, they charged, he later broke off on his own. But an October 1986 arrest warrant for Blandon indicates that the LA County Sheriff's Department at the time had other information.

When did the CIA exonerate the CIA?

In December 1997, CIA sources helped advance that narrative, telling reporters that an internal inspector general report sparked by Webb's investigation had exonerated the agency.

When did crack start?

As early as 1981, reports of crack were appearing in Los Angeles, Oakland, San Diego, Miami, Houston, and in the Caribbean. By 1985, cocaine-related hospital emergencies rose by 12 percent, from 23,500 to 26,300. However in 1986, these incidents increased 110 percent, from 26,300 to 55,200. Around 1984, powder cocaine was available on the street at an average of 55 percent purity for $100 per gram (equivalent to $230 in 2016), and crack was sold at average purity levels of 80+ percent for the same price.

What was the impact of the 1960s crack epidemic?

In the 1960s, white flight from communities like South Central Los Angeles resulted in loss of employment for the remaining Black and Latino residents, who were left with few options in a world hostile to any semblance of their success. Negative policing — driven by policies formed from the lasting legacy of the 13th Amendment loophole for incarcerated felons — and the profit motives of the private prison complex, further exacerbated dire straits for vulnerable communities.

What rappers rap about crack?

Today, rappers like Pusha T, 2 Chainz, Migos and Jay Z have made millions — for themselves and others — by rapping about crack cocaine. The drug’s sale, its use, and its all-consuming ubiquity in the late ’80s and early ’90s has proven to be a treasure trove for the recording industry, for Hollywood, and for cable television “journalism.”

When was cocaine a club drug?

In the 1980s, cocaine was a club drug, glamorized by rumors of exploits of celebrities in the Hollywood Hills of California, and the clubs of New York City, but when the supply got too high and the demand tanked, dealers turned to the age old, tried-and-true method of boosting sales: Make a stronger product.

What are some famous rappers who rap about crack cocaine?

Today, rappers like Pusha T, 2 Chainz, Migos and Jay Z have made millions — for themselves and others — by rapping about crack cocaine.

Overview

History

The name "crack" first appeared in the New York Times on November 17, 1985. Within a year more than a thousand press stories had been released about the drug. In the early 1980s, the majority of cocaine being shipped to the United States was landing in Miami, and originated in Colombia, trafficked through the Bahamas and Dominican Republic. Soon there was a huge glut of cocaine powder in these islands, which caused the price to drop by as much as 80 percent.

Impact by region

Effect on African American communities

Sentencing disparities

Post epidemic commentary

Influence on popular culture

See also