Crack vs. Heroin: Drug wars’ racial double standard arrested millions of blacks, saw compassion for whites – Asbury Park Press

Asbury Park Press Published 4:56 a.m. ET Dec. 8, 2019 | Updated 9:02 a.m. ET Dec. 8, 2019

The struggles of two New Jersey men -- one addicted to crack, the other to opioids -- show the differences and similarities of the two epidemics. Brian Johnston, Doug Hood, Peter Ackerman and Thomas P. Costello, Asbury Park Press

In the late 1980s, thecrackepidemic launched a War on Drugs that disproportionately arrested and punished black Americans.

But a generation later, when a new drug scourge struck white communities across the country, the response was dramatically different. The focus shifted to saving lives, treatment, and second chances.

A year-long investigation by the Asbury Park Press and the USA TODAY Network reveals a glaring double standard that hinges on race.

The project examineshow the responses to crack and opioidscreated anunfair justice system;what needs to be done to fix the inequity;the role that cultureand comedy play; andour top 5 takeaways from the project.

Here's a recap of our special report.

A young Richie Lapinski (left) with his brother and sister in a family photo. All three siblings would battle opioid addiction in the years to come, and are now in recovery.(Photo: Doug Hood )

The '80s crack era and the heroin crisis today are separated along racial lines when it comes to arrests andjail time.

America's views on addiction may have softened because of the terrible toll of the opioid epidemic, but the country is still plagued by stark racial disparities in drug enforcement and the collateral damage of ruined lives and hollowed-out neighborhoods caused by the "lock 'emup" policies of the past.

Follow the drastically different paths of those who were involved in the drug trade in both eras consumers, dealers and others through emotional and intimate interviews. See the crises through the decades in vintage photos and video footage (and an exclusive documentary).

Michelle Goodwyn, whose life was destroyed by crack, speaks candidly about the role of race in America's response to drug abuse. Tanya Breen, @tanyabreenphoto

Hear from those who fought the "war on drugs,"and learn what itll take to put an end to the injustice that persists even today.

The project also includes an interactive town-by-town database of cocaine and opioid arrests andcommentary from CNN's Van Jones,former President Barack Obamas first drug czar Gil Kerlikowske, Darryl Strawberryand more.

Here's what you need to know.

Search our interactive town-by-town FBI database of drug arrestsfor cocaine (which includes crack), or our opioids arrest database (which includes heroin) to dig deeper into the data.

In the 80s and 90s, jokes about crack were a staple on the comedy circuit; but jokes about opioid addiction are rare. Why is that? We explore the role society plays in how we view these crises.

This piece on solutions shares five thoughts from experts on how to fix the racial inequity that appears built into the system.

Here are the top things we learned duringour investigationinto the crack and heroin crises and what needs to be done going forward.

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Crack vs. Heroin: Drug wars' racial double standard arrested millions of blacks, saw compassion for whites - Asbury Park Press