Boston Crack Epidemic

The Federal Government’s Impact on the Crack Epidemic in the District of Colombia Cutler Fisher AMST 3950W April 15, 2012 The term epidemic is typically used in relation to the spread of a disease however; in the mid 1980’s this term was attached to crack cocaine. The crack cocaine epidemic described the impact of a newly created drug on most U.S. cities in the northeast and Mid Atlantic. Washington, D.C. provided the perfect setting for crack cocaine to flourish. Plenty of low-income inner city housing projects complete with open air drug markets labeled D.C. as a leading U.S. city with a major crack cocaine problem. As crack cocaine became a national talking point the federal government stepped in to curb its use. Congress along

In today’s society people are talking about babies being born to drugs, and how could a mother do that to their unborn child. Drug addiction is a very serious issue that needs more research. We are still learning the effects of substance abuse. One problem that needs to be looked at is are there enough Rehabilitation Centers, to help the women who are addicted to these different street drugs. Also doctor and nurses should not judge these women but instead give them the best prenatal care that can be provided. We need to see what harm and side affects it has on the mother and baby, so that we can be able to understand better how to treat these women and get them off drugs before they do harm their babies.

Introduction Attention Getter: Imagine 60,000 people in one city, all dealing with the same problem, addiction. According to an article written by Carter M. Yang for ABC news on March 14th of this year, there are 60, 000 people in Baltimore alone that are addicted to illicit drugs. These numbers are disheartening and unfortunate. I can relate to every one of these people struggling with substance abuse, because I am an addict. A program called Narcotics Anonymous has

Case Study and Treatment Recommendations Evonne Moore Liberty University NAME: Rosa Lee Cunningham DOB/AGE: October 7th, 1936—52 DATE OF INTERVIEW: 04- 05-2015 EVALUATOR: Evonne Moore REASON FOR ASSESSMENT: Rosa Lee Cunningham is a 52 year old African American women with an addiction of heroin. Rosa Lee grew up in poverty. Her mother and father were sharecroppers who had migrated to the city. Rosa Lee had eight children, six boys and two girls. She was 14 years old when she had her first born. While pregnant with her first child, Rosa Lee dropped out of school without having the ability to learn how to read. At the age of 16, Rosa got married. Because Rosa Lee didn’t have a productive role model in life, she

When America came through the 1980’s heroin and cocaine were being used very often, and then other drugs started to come about like Ecstasy and crack (newsnarconon, 2009). Crack was the alternative to cocaine because it was cheaper to buy, but it was also highly addictive (newsnarconon, 2009). Crack became so popular because it could be smoked instead of snorted, and when it was smoked, it would absorb more quickly across the blood brain barrier, in about six seconds (newsnarconon, 2009). Crack then became a huge because of how cheap it was and that is when “crack babies” we being born, which were babies who were

Substance Abuse and Women Through the years, substance misuse in the United States has turned into an industrious issue influencing numerous people. In 2008, it was assessed that 17.8 million Americans beyond 18 years old where substance subordinate. Women who use medications during pregnancy can have an enduring impact on fetal. Medications can have an impact of maternal and child wellbeing, yet there are a lot of different variables, which influence it, poor social environment, nourishment, cleanliness, and sexual abuse. Regenerative interruption connected with heroin utilization has been shown in both and women and even low dosages of opiates can impede ordinary ovarian capacity and ovulation. The harm that goes hand in hand with substance utilization comes either straightforwardly from the impact of the medication itself or from issues identified with development and/or unexpected labor. The entanglements of jumbling components clamorous way of life, poor nourishment, liquor utilization and cigarette smoking influence the appraisal of the impacts of cocaine in pregnancy. In obstetric practice, 100% of pregnant women utilizing cocaine or heroin are cigarette smokers. Cigarette smoking is presumably the most well known manifestation of substance utilizes and is noteworthy corresponding considering ladies who use unlawful medications. Babies whose moms smoked in pregnancy have a tendency to have lower conception weights and diminished length, cranial and thoracic

Crack users range from the Wall Street stockbroker to a homeless person living in Central Park, but by and large this evil drug called crack had its biggest impact on New York’s inner city minority population. A New York doctor, Dr. Mark Gold who is the person who set up and helps run the not for profit organization called 800-COCAINE, a hotline set up to help addicts and perspective users answer questions about the drug and also offers counseling and drug intervention services; suggested that his findings showed that, “occasional users of crack quickly increased, the amount and frequency of crack use until total dependency was achieved.” Men and women who were once law abiding citizens and honest people were now robbing and stealing to pay for the drug, and many who once enjoyed good health were now suffering from a variety of physical and mental aliments springing from their cocaine abuse. Crack brings along with its amazing high, some ominous dangers. Dr. Robert Maslansky is the director of New York City’s Bellevue Hospital

The use of heroin, cocaine, and other illicit drugs has become a public health concern especially during pregnancy. Maternal substance abuse has become an issue during the crack epidemic in the 1980’s; however, there is an alarm rate of infants born addicted to heroin. More than 3.7% women have indicated the uses some form of illicit drugs during their pregnancy, as well as 1.9 % reports binge drinking (Bhuvaneswar el at., 2008; Grant el at., 2009). With this in mind, more than 375,000 infants are born to maternal substance abusers each year costing over $100,000 in medical expenses covered by the state (Reitman, 2002).

“Crack-babies” a media induced phenomena brought about by the climax of public outcry from the results of the 1980’s war on drugs. This term laid the foundation for biased prosecutions which sparked a political crusade during climate of the time. Thus exploiting the public’s fear of children born to substance addicted mother and creating a firestorm of litigation to prosecute pregnant drug addicts. According to Flavin, Paltrow (2010), current evidence points to public stigmas and prejudice as posing a greater danger to both maternal and fetal health than use of the drug itself. Leaving the question as to why addicted women are still publicly reviled for the outcomes of their circumstances. From this abhorrence stems the likelihood that

Conclusion While both Methadone and Suboxone Treatment have both proven to be very successful in helping the admitted opiate addicts achieve recovery, having the option of Methadone treatment available to the addicted pregnant Mothers, gives them the choice to bring a healthy baby into this world. It is a choice that is only safe with Methadone treatment and not with Suboxne. This is a choice addicted woman did not have before Methadone, and will not have again, should they remove Methadone from the market. And although the community thinks having the clinics brings crime into the neighborhood, they need to consider that every day when the 600

This Act will have different parts and supervisors to ensure everything is running properly. It will “monitor states to ensure that each one's policies and procedures meet requirements to improve outcomes among infants born and identified as being affected by substance abuse or withdrawal symptoms or a Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder” (Plan of Safe Care Improvement Act, 2016, Paragraph 1). It will help the states in regarding the requirements and the best ways to create a better development for a child and for the plans of the safe care. Monitoring of who this act applies to would be “done by the Secretary” (Barletta, 2016, Page 1). There will also be multiple steps taken when finding out a child is “drug-dependent” and how to develop a plan for it. First, the child service will identify unborn and born infants at risk of child abuse and neglect which results in prenatal substance exposure. Second, child service will decide the appropriate services that can be delivered, ensuring the safety and well-being of infants, their mothers and their families. They will also decide if the family keeps the child or not. Overall, the bill will address the health and substance use disorder treatment for the child, and the family or affected caregiver involved, and provide a solution for the caregiver and the

The Heroin Epidemic in Northeast Ohio Heroin is a drug most children grow up learning about as being one of the worst things you can do. Being young, a child could never imagine doing something to them that is harmful. Yet here we are, at home, right in Northeast Ohio with the biggest heroin epidemic in history. Heroin is essentially a pain blocker. It turns into morphine when it enters the brain. Is this why it is so popular, or is it because this drug is becoming cheaper and cheaper? The answer is both. Heroin offers users a cheap, quick fix to temporarily numb themselves. With its growing popularity, this drug needs to be stopped. The Heroin and Opioid Epidemic Northeast Ohio Community Action Plan is currently a working draft that will

The 1980s and early 90s were home to an extreme wave of criminal activity that swept across much of the country. The dramatic uptick in crime can largely be attributed to the spread of the crack-cocaine epidemic and subsequent “War on Drugs.” New York City, for example, suffered from 2,605 murders and 208,813 burglaries in 1990, at the height of the violence . Much of this criminal activity centered around and affected the poorest individuals in those communities – which often included minorities.

Crack-Cocaine Addiction at It’s Best In quite a few lower-class communities, phrases like “your mom is a crack head,” or “shut up crack baby” are said jokingly to make fun of someone during what we call a “rip session.” Although said as a joke, some are very offended by the comments. Why? because for some, crack addiction hits too close to home for comfort. Seeing how easy it is obtained in lower class and poverty stricken neighborhoods, many find themselves falling victim to the powerful substance, crack cocaine. Low sociable economic systems are just one of the many factors that can lead to the use, and addiction of crack cocaine, others include movies, music, peer pressure, alcohol and cigarette ads. In this report I will discuss

Infants of regular heavy users usually have a low birth weight, because of intrauterine growth retardation and frequent premature births. (http://www.bookrags.com/research/addicted-babies-edaa-01/) Also if you are regularly abusing the drug, the infant may be born physically dependent on heroin. Children born to addicted mothers are at greater risks of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) as well. (http://www.uatests.com/drug-information/heroin.html) Tiffany looks over at Cassandra with tears running down her face and tells her, “I don’t know what to do? I want to stop but I can’t! I need to use heroin, I can’t go a few hours without it.” Cassandra hugs her and tells Tiffany, “Yes you can stop! You just need a little help and support, but you also have to know the risks you pose to yourself.”