The Racist History of Cocaine

By American Addiction Centers Editorial Staff

Today, cocaine may be stereotyped as a drug favored by whites – business executives or rock stars, perhaps. But its beginnings were mired in racism, in some cases forcing cocaine use on black slaves and workers for increased production. Learn more about the history of cocaine and crack, how history has reshaped the reputation of the drugs, and how the legal system handles sentencing differently by drug type and race.

Why do you think crack users have gotten a worse rap than cocaine users and likewise, what is to be said about the unequal punishment handed out for both crimes? If you would like to share this infographic with your readers, feel free to copy and paste the code bellow into your own blog post.