Reagan declared that illicit drugs were a direct threat to u. Crack, a potent form of smokeable cocaine developed in the early 1980s, begins to flourish in the new york region. Despite this, the number of crack and heroin users continued to grow, peaking in. Eventually, there became a glut in the market of too much cocaine and not enough profits for the drug dealers. In his own words 2004, video of interview with gary webb from guerrilla news network inside the dark alliance. Your worst fears are true the cia did help to smuggle drugs into american ghettos, says an investigative reporter, webb was asked whether his story had confirmed the suspicion within the black community that the crack cocaine epidemic might be part of a. The emergence of crack cocaine started in the 1970s and 1980s during the boom in cocaines recreational use. Key figures in ciacrack cocaine scandal begin to come forward. This came at the price of webbs career and ultimately his life. The secret flow of drugs and money, webb reported, had a direct link to the crack epidemic that devastated californias most vulnerable african american neighborhoods.
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. The true story of the 1980s crack epidemic is still untold. Freeway ricky ross, the drug kingpin who ignited crack cocaine epidemic. History of crack cocaine the recovery village ridgefield. The crack epidemic that once ravaged black neighborhoods. Back in 1996, gary webb of the san jose mercury news broke a story stating not only that the nicaraguan contras supported by the united states in a rebellion against their leftleaning government were involved in the us crack cocaine epidemic of the 1980s, but also that the cia knew and turned a blind eye to the operation. Despite the often openly racial terms that the crack epidemic was presented within media, perhaps most telling was a statistic reported as the 100 to 1 ratio was rolled back to 17 to 1 in 2009. Ross used the cocaine imported by the cia to set up a cocainedistribution network in major cities throughout the united states. Speakers compare opioid crisis to 80s crack epidemic. The crack epidemic had particularly devastating effects. One of the most talked about conspiracy theories of the mid80s and early 90s had to do with the crack epidemic. Central intelligence agency cia, principal foreign intelligence and counterintelligence agency of the u.
On october 14, 1982, president ronald reagan declared a war on drugs, doublingdown on an initiative that was started by richard nixon. The cia, contras, gangs, and crack institute for policy. Special reports cocaine, conspiracy theories and the cia in. Drug use was actually dropping in 82 when reagan kicked off his drug war. A commonheld belief was that the cia flooded the black community with crack so. Based on a yearlong investigation, reporter gary webb wrote that during the 1980s the cia helped finance its covert war against nicaraguas leftist government through sales of cutrate cocaine to south central. Rereading the story of the crack epidemic jstor daily. As policymakers seek solutions for the ongoing epidemic of opioid overdoses, horror stories about the effects of the drugs fuel calls for more punitive law enforcement, as well as better treatment options. Crack has destroyed families and, in many ways, destroyed communities, which still suffer the effects of crime, druguse, and incarceration.
Nicaraguan drug rebels were exporting drugs for money, with the cias covert assistance. The big lie is that we started it all the crack epidemic we were just a small part. Around the same timethe early 1980sa letter between attorney general. Allegations of a cia connection to crack cocaine epidemic. A number of writers have alleged that the united states central intelligence agency cia was involved in cocaine trafficking during the 1980s. Did the cia play a role in launching the crack cocaine epidemic.
The cia, contras, gangs, and crack institute for policy studies. The full story of the 1980s crack epidemic is still yet to be told. This led to the us having the highest incarceration rate in the world. These claims have led to investigations by the united states government, including hearings and reports by the united states house of representatives, senate, department of justice, and the cia s office of the inspector general. According to the mercury stories, which were based on a. It refuted charges that cia officials knew that their nicaraguan allies were dealing drugs. In 1996, a bombshell report by journalist gary webb claimed that the central intelligence agency cia supported cocaine trafficking into the u. Crack cocaine, swept throughout the us in the 1980s as an inexpensive and easily accessible drug. In his report, webb who had won a pulitzer in 1989 for a different story claimed that the cia was partly responsible for bringing crack cocaine to.
After reading about gary webb exposing the cias potential complicity in l. The series related to a drug ring in california and its alleged connections to the central intelligence agency ciabacked nicaraguan contra resistance of the 1980s. Levine found analyzing the reaction to crack in the 1980s, sensationalist reporting can lead to troubling responses. In the interview notes with filmmaker levin, blandon confirms his support of the contras and his role in drug trafficking, but downplays his significance. Agency to receive the cocaine which decimated black communities in the 1980s. The dark alliance series recounted how ross began peddling. The 1980s crack epidemic crack usage began to surge in the 1980s. Thirty years of americas drug war drug wars frontline. When ronald reagan became president soon after, he quietly began. The high amount of people in jail is a direct result of the crack epidemic, which was started by the cia. Crack epidemic, the significant increase in the use of crack cocaine, or crack, in the united states during the early 1980s. Crack cocaine was popularized because of its affordability, its immediate euphoric effect, and its high profitability. Neighborhoods and families were severely impacted by this epidemic. San jose mercury news allegations of ciacontra involvement in narcotics trafficking.
It doesnt help that this media blitz coincided with cia funding of drugs cartels to fund their war in nicaragua. Its creation in 1947 was intended to address problems of duplication, competition, and lack of coordination that had characterized previous u. The cia, contras, gangs, and crack based on a yearlong investigation, reporter gary webb wrote that during the 1980s the cia helped finance its covert war against nicaraguas leftist government through sales of cutrate cocaine to south central l. Agency ties to drug trafficking and the 1980s crack cocaine epidemic that devastated neighborhoods, destroyed families and. Congress passed laws that created a 100 to 1 sentencing disparity for the. Crack cocaine represented an innovation that allowed users to conveniently smoke cocaine vapors on a low costperdose basis. All the time that this crack epidemic was being unleashed by the contras, vice president bush was the man in charge of the reagan administrations central america program, overseeing all of the activities of the cia, the pentagon, and every other government intelligence agency. Cia and cocaine how the cia sparked the crackepidemic. Reagan and his administration hired staff to publicize the crack in a media blitz in 85. Now, webbs bombshell expose is being explored anew in a documentary, freeway. The crack epidemics impact on black communities 91. The igs report cleared the cia of complicity with the innercity crack cocaine trade. By 2002, the united kingdom was experiencing their own crack epidemic, with the number of crack addicts seeking help climbing nearly 50% that year.
We find that our measure of crack can explain much of the rise in black youth homicides, as well as more moderate increases in a wide range of adverse birth outcomes for blacks in the 1980s. 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. Freeway ricky ross, the drug kingpin who ignited crack. Although our crack index remains high through the 1990s, the deleterious social impact of crack fades. A powerful series by investigative reporter gary webb of the san jose mercury news says the answer may be yesand the charge. According to one article, the cocaine that flooded in through blandons drug ring helped spark a crack explosion in. It is now axiomatic that although the crack epidemic of the 1980s devastated communities of color, the legal and political responses to the crisis compounded the tragedy. This past weekend, the hollywood version of what pilot and drug runner barry seal did for the cia in the 1980s, opened in movie theaters across the country. Then take a look at 37 startling photos of 1980s new york city, when crack was king. Crack epidemic united states history 1980s britannica. A powerful series by investigative reporter gary webb of the san jose mercury news says the answer may be yes. Aaron dixon, the former seattle chapter captain for the black panther party, is writing a book on the impact of crack cocaine on black communities. New jack city eats its young, the article was one of the first exposes of the effects of the crack epidemic on innercity communities.
The new policy successfully halted a national hiv epidemic among idus, and harm reduction policies have been increased further since that 1986 milestone. During the early 1980s, some cocaine users especially drug dealers started to smoke freebase, a costly and challenging process involving mixing powder cocaine with ether over an open flame hamid, 1992. Here are 10 things to know about gary webb and his report that linked the cia to crack cocaine. Decadesold cia crackcocaine scandal gains new momentum. If you go see the film, there are some things you should keep in mind, as hollywood is prone to sensationalize reallife events, especially when tom cruise. San jose mercury news published a threepart series of articles titled dark alliance.
Gary webb on the cia, the contras, and the crack cocaine explosion, audio interviews 19971998 with gary webb from democracy now. Special reports cocaine, conspiracy theories and the cia. 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. Cia involvement in contra cocaine trafficking wikipedia. In the 1980s, cocaine was a club drug, glamorized by. The crack epidemic the history of crack cocaine drug. Cooper was a journalist for the village voice, who had received acclaim for a 1987 story about the crack epidemic in detroit titled kids killing kids. The severelydistressed african american family in the.
Mchenry claims that the films main character, nino brown. The crack epidemic dramatically increased the number of americans addicted to cocaine. How one journalist linked the cia to the crack epidemic. Measuring crack cocaine and its impact harvard university. 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.
71 1254 670 1208 255 34 40 1520 944 794 1437 1168 171 1228 1238 501 649 886 1509 107 457 28 1229 1103 398 70 255 1169 1000 501 472 1223 468 392 862 1174 180 899