Someone mentions the link between the CIA and crack cocaine that Gary Webb exposed, and gets this gem of a reply:

"This is not completely accurate. The “cocaine to crack” thing was an accidental byproduct.

The CIA was not officially exchanging cocaine for weapons. A rogue officer got creative and took wholesale quantities from the rebels and sold them to distributors in the US. Then with the cash, he organized the purchase of firearms from Argentina and had them sent to Nicaragua.

His role was also very “hands off” as most all of the smuggling was handled by Nicaraguans. His CIA leadership was intentionally ignorant to the means but satisfied with the results and let him keep up the scheme.

Now the crack epidemic happened because those distributors of cocaine suddenly had way more than they knew what to do with. At the time, cocaine was mostly just a fashionable drug for the wealthy elites. But they could only snort so much.

At the same time near the famous Hade-Ashbury community, which was a hippy enclave that had become a pit of vice after the hippy revolution failed, people were experimenting with cooking cocaine powder down into “freebase.” Some took it further and formed what we know now as “Crack Cocaine.” Most had no interest in it and it was more of a designer thing.

Remember that back then, Meth and Heroine were easy to get your hands on and pretty cheap. You didn’t need a fancy lab to get your fix, just needed to know a guy.

As huge quantities of cocaine started getting practically forced into the hands drug dealers all over California by distributors under pressure to get a return on their investment, some got creative and figured that turning that cheaper powder into what was known then as “ready rock,” would make the whole business viable.

The rapid onset addiction and low cost per hit got people hooked immediately and turned an occasional customer into a dedicated customer. That kg or two of powdered cocaine, that you might struggle to sell to average people, suddenly became hugely popular amongst communities where folks that could only afford a $10-15 high maybe once per week were getting sucked in and becoming addicted before they knew it.

It also helped that they figured out a way to manufacture the stuff which didn’t need more than a stovetop and some mason jars. This meant distributors could now sell pure cocaine to low-level and unsophisticated dealers for them to process into crack and sell by themselves without the need for laboratories or heavy investment in infrastructure like you might need with meth or heroine.

This hit African American communities in California the hardest. Why? Because a huge migration of black people to the LA area just took place not long before. Those folks outstripped the job market quickly and many found themselves living paycheck to paycheck or relying entirely upon government assistance. Racial oppression also didn’t do them any favors and many felt angst about their positions in life.

With not much to do, people get bored and many turn to drugs and alcohol to pass the time. When you’re talking about a little weed and some beer, it’s not a big deal. But suddenly this cheap and hard hitting drug was going around and people were excited to try it. So they did. And then many were selling off their furniture and prostituting themselves before the end of the month to pay for their addiction.

If your entire community falls prey to a substance, and none of you needs to worry about showing up for work on Monday, do you think that community is putting in any effort to hide their addiction? No. Entire communities capitulated and became open pits of crime and abuse within a few years.

So… really, it wasn’t an orchestrated attempt by the CIA to destroy black communities. It was an agglomeration of clever, business-minded people taking advantage of a susceptible population and a clumsy government agent desperate to get the job done without considering the consequences that lead to the crack epidemic.

… also the Contra Crisis…"

:pigpoop: