How Crack Works

This Stuff You Should Know episode dives into the crack cocaine epidemic that swept through America starting in the mid-1980s. Josh and Chuck explore the stark differences between how powder cocaine (favored by affluent white users) and crack cocaine (predominantly used in low-income Black communities) were treated by both the media and the justice system. They examine the controversial allegations that the CIA may have played a role in introducing crack to American cities to fund Nicaraguan rebels, discuss the infamous "crack baby" hysteria that turned out to be largely myth, and reveal how dramatically different sentencing laws created a system where crack users received far harsher punishments than powder cocaine users for essentially the same drug.