īy the late 1980s, crack was also being used in the UK, and in 2002 the British government was concerned enough to produce a national crack strategy. As crack use was associated with the black, urban poor and powder cocaine with the more affluent white middle classes, this policy became symbolic of the racism of the “war on drugs” and the over-representation of black men in the US prison system. Referred to as the “100-1 Rule”, until the passing of the 2010 Fair Sentencing Act, possession of one gram of crack in America was treated as the equivalent of 100g of powder cocaine. Supporters of drug reform in the US have long highlighted the uneven application of the law concerning crack and powder cocaine. But recent reports suggest that crack cocaine use is on the rise again.Ĭrack emerged in the Americas in the late 1970s as a relatively cheap and transportable form of cocaine that could be more easily distributed than the powdered variety and soon led to what was widely described as an “epidemic”, especially in the US. There have long been scare stories about drugs so we need to be careful when interpreting new drug use data.
University of York, Liverpool John Moores University, and Loughborough University provide funding as members of The Conversation UK. Mark Monaghan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. This article represents his personal opinions only. He is an unpaid member of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD), an unpaid trustee of the drug and alcohol prevention charity Mentor UK, and an unpaid Board Member of the European Society for Prevention Research (EUSPR). Harry Sumnall receives and has received funding from grant awarding bodies for drug and alcohol research. Ian Hamilton is affiliated with Alcohol Research UK.
Lecturer in Crimimology and Social Policy, Loughborough University Professor in Substance Use, Liverpool John Moores University Lecturer in mental health and addiction, University of York
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