page_title: Crack epidemic in the United States
hierarchical_section_title: Crack epidemic in the United States
caption_attribution_description: Keith Harring's Crack is Wack mural, created during the 1980s crack epidemic.
context_page_description: 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 of tough on crime policies.
  In 1986, the U.S. Congress passed laws that created a 100 to 1 sentencing disparity for the possession or trafficking of crack when compared to penalties for trafficking of powder cocaine. These were criticized as discriminatory against minorities, mostly African Americans, who were more likely to have access to crack than powder cocaine.
context_section_description: 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 of tough on crime policies.
  In 1986, the U.S. Congress passed laws that created a 100 to 1 sentencing disparity for the possession or trafficking of crack when compared to penalties for trafficking of powder cocaine. These were criticized as discriminatory against minorities, mostly African Americans, who were more likely to have access to crack than powder cocaine.
caption: Crack is Wack (1986), mural by Keith Haring
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