NCJ Number
129350
Journal
Clearinghouse Review Volume: 24 Issue: 5 Dated: special issue (1990) Pages: 496-503
Date Published
1990
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This article describes the incidence of cocaine and crack abuse in low-income and minority populations, examines the consequences of such abuse, and describes treatment alternatives for women and children.
Abstract
No one knows how many people in the United States actually use illicit drugs, but estimates range from 860,000 to 2.2 million who use cocaine on a weekly basis. Overall, the incidence of cocaine use is highest for Hispanics and lowest for blacks between 12 and 17 years of age. Blacks are the focus of most media coverage regarding illegal drug use, even though data show that cocaine use does not differ substantially across racial lines. Consequences of drug abuse are very different for men and women. The most obvious difference is the effect of drug abuse on the unborn child if a woman becomes pregnant. One survey estimates that 11 percent of women use drugs during pregnancy resulting in 375,000 babies born annually who are exposed to drugs. The use of crack cocaine is associated with the current increase in sexually transmitted diseases. Different methods of treating drug abusers and helping their children suggest that treatment must be approached in a variety of ways. Treatment that focuses on services for the mother and child may hold the most promise for the special needs of women. More treatment facilities are needed, and low-income families need many services when coping with alcohol and drug addiction problems. Because basic needs of low-income families are great, the added health problem of addiction magnifies these families' other problems. Minorities are disproportionately poor, and drugs and poverty combine in ways that are particularly destructive to the individual and the family. 50 endnotes and 5 tables