Crack epidemic | US History, Causes & Effects | Britannica crack cocaine(more) # crack epidemic United States history [1980s] Ask Anything Homework Help Written by Deonna S. Turner Fact-checked by Britannica Editors Britannica AI Ask Anything Table of Contents Table of Contents Ask Anything Top Questions What was the crack epidemic in the United States during the 1980s? The crack epidemic in the United States during the early 1980s was marked by a surge in the use of crack cocaine due to its affordability and immediate euphoric effects. This crisis disproportionately affected African American communities in inner cities, leading to increased addiction, deaths, and drug-related crimes. Crack cocaine first appeared in Miami, and the business of producing and distributing crack cocaine then spread to other major cities, such as New York City, Detroit, and Los Angeles. The Reagan administration prioritized the "War on Drugs" to combat drug trafficking, but the focus on smal

'Crack' User's Highs, Lows - The Washington Post clockThis article was published more than**38yearsago** Democracy Dies in Darkness # 'Crack' User's Highs, Lows A D.C. Drug Smoker's Desperate Habit June 21, 1986 ByCourtland Milloyy As the butane torch flame vaporized the cocaine in the bowl of a glass smoking pipe, Amir Vik-Kiv inhaled deeply, held the smoke in his expanded chest, then exhaled in a breathless rush. Suddenly, his eyes bulged and his hands trembled. Beads of sweat broke out on his forehead, and perspiration stains formed under his arms. Moments earlier, in what has become one the most bizarre rituals in the annals of drug abuse, Vik-Kiv, a 38-year-old former television cameraman, had "cooked" a gram of cocaine in the kitchen of his Northeast Washington apartment. Refining the powder with a simple recipe of water and baking soda, he had reduced the substance to a potent, insidious form known as "crack." Within an hour he had "burned" about $100 worth of the drug, but what