Crack | Film Review
**Contains Spoilers**
This Netflix documentary explores the Crack era in the 80s. The film is divided in 8 sections discussing distribution, the news during this time and the lasting effects the epidemic has on the community.
Like most documentaries, we are bombarded with evoking imagery. It begins with images of broken communities and a former user saying “This is a story that has to be told”. We see President Reagan giving a speech about stimulating the economy in urban communities. Under this administration a surge of people were removed from welfare and food stamps. About 8.5 million Americans were unemployed but keep in mind Black people are unemployed at a higher rate than whites.
Former drug dealers and users describe how life was like living in poverty. Oftentimes the trauma of being poor is not usually discussed in detail. From 1982 to 1984 cocaine usage increased by 50% but the average person could not afford it. Crack was harder to make but easier to sell.
Users typically feel the effects of crack 5-15 minutes in. You are hooked on the first hit. Recovering users describe the first hit as orgasmic. A former dealer explains that selling crack was the easiest way to make money. In 20-30 minutes he sold 100 pipes. At that time the cops did not care to even arrest people with addiction.
Infamous drug dealer, Rick Ross, said he made $200,000 - $300,000 a day. He made so much money he decided to purchase a motel, movie theater, shoe store, beauty salon, and more. The users were addicted to the drugs and the dealers were addicted to the money. Thus, violence increased in urban neighborhoods because guns became more accessible. Fear was felt throughout the whole community.
The film explained how crack was an escape for many people. It was used to cope with the emotional trauma people dealt with. Black women in particular were a large part of crack users. Many families were destroyed and abandoned by the mother. Crack was used as a form of chemical warfare against the Black community.
As we continue watching, the documentary addresses the government’s role in the war on drugs. Just say no was a major anti-drug campaign that was plastered all over the media, but in reality many communities were not receiving any help to resolve the problem.
The documentary does a great job of visual representation. They show us how 1 gram of crack is nearly equivalent to 1 small sugar pack. Based on the 1985 Anti-drug abuse act a person with 5 grams of crack would receive the same sentence (5 years min) as a person with 500 grams of powder cocaine. This law reflects systematic racism because many of Black people were affected the most and were jailed as a result.
The doc ends with the experiences and PTSD explained by users and dealers. They all talk about the lost; the lost jobs, loss of themselves and their families. I think each chapter of the film should've gone in deeper. I would have loved to see this as a full docuseries. Eight subsects in a 1hr 45 mins documentary didn't seem like enough. I wanted more. I am pretty knowledgeable about the crack era so I don't think the doc served me. If you have no clue about the war on drugs then you should watch this. I enjoy watching docs because of the emotion it evokes and the depth of information and I think this one could have been more informative.
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