The Crack Crisis

Guest: David Farber, Roy A. Roberts Distinguished Professor of History, University of Kansas, Author of “Crack: Rock Cocaine, Street Capitalism, and the Decade of Greed” Many states are reporting a jump in opioid overdose deaths since the pandemic started. Health experts say extra stress may be driving increased drug use. Also, COVID-19 restrictions are making it harder to see addiction treatment. The latest overdose numbers are a grim reminder that America is still in the midst of a drug crisis. Before the opioid epidemic, there was the crack epidemic. But America responded very differently to that drug crisis. Historian David Farber says the comparison is worth looking into, for what it tells us about race, poverty and our “collective inability to treat each other with decency and mercy.” (Originally aired Nov 21, 2019).