Crack in the Rearview Mirror: Deconstructing Drug war Mythology

Part of a special issue on resisting militarism and globalized punishment. The crack scare that occurred in the U.S. in the 1980s, which resulted in Congress passing new laws that extended criminal sentence lengths for crack offenses, is discussed. Five of the myths about crack that contributed to t...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Reinarman, Craig (Author) ; Levine, Harry G. (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2004
In: Social justice
Year: 2004, Volume: 31, Issue: 1/2, Pages: 182-199
Online Access: Volltext (Verlag)
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Keywords:
Correctional law
Inner cities
African Americans
Drug Abuse
Crack (Drug)
Drug laws
Discrimination in criminal justice administration
Criminal justice system > United States
Criminal Justice System
Description
Summary:Part of a special issue on resisting militarism and globalized punishment. The crack scare that occurred in the U.S. in the 1980s, which resulted in Congress passing new laws that extended criminal sentence lengths for crack offenses, is discussed. Five of the myths about crack that contributed to the passing of these laws are deconstructed. These myths are: crack is not the same drug as cocaine; crack is inevitably and instantly addictive; crack is widely used in all sectors of society; crack use leads to crime and violence; and crack use during pregnancy results in crack babies.