Decades later, idea of crack being more dangerous than cocaine ...

During some of the bloodiest years of the drug wars of the 1980s, crack was seen as far more dangerous than powdered cocaine, and that perception was written into the sentencing laws.

[Sam Strong]

It never ceases to amaze me, how the medical professionals can continue to overlook the obvious fact that the upsurge in the use of crack cocaine directly cerresponds with the upsurge in the need for more and more kidney dialysis machines.
The increase in kidney failure is simply being treated rather than connecting the dots.
Could it be that the medical profession benefits from the drug craze as does the legal and penal systems?

[Get Real]

The tides of political correctness are always rising and ebbing and so goes the policy on drugs. When I was in graduate school during the height of the wave of crack violence, I recall someone trying to argue with me that the basic ingredients of powder and rock were the same, so should the penalties be. In the end, tell that to the hundreds of people who were murdered and the communities that were destroyed by crack. The sphere of violence surrounding powder was largely limited to those in the trafficking trade. The sphere of violence, and the horrible spillover of economic and social shredding of communities went much further when it came to the crack experience. THe carnage was felt everywhere and the epidemic demanded a harsh response from the social policy standpoint.

Now, 20 years later, the epidemic has stemmed and more moderate views are called for. However, let's not fool ourselves. The crack was and IS different than powder. Just because fishing weights and bullets are both made of lead (at least they used to be), doesn't mean that they should be treated the same from a legal regulation standpoint.