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I never snorted cocaine, dropped acid, or shot horse. I probably smoked marijuana less than a dozen times, and then, usually only enough to prove I was not a narc, not enough to get very high. But I remember the climate in the '70s, the hype that cocaine was non- addictive, the sense that because it cost so much, it was a luxury item for yuppies, and therefore not much of a scourge. Later, it became clear that it was addictive, and that heavy use could induce paranoia and lead to a breakdown. The price dropped, and the market became flooded. Crack was invented, with a more intense high and a faster addiction rate, and gangs sprung up in distribution wars throughout the country. The nouveau riche of the cocaine boom began to infiltrate and corrupt police forces and magistrates all along the shipping routes, including in Florida and the Gulf Coast. Drug laws became harsher in the wake of the new information and the changing situation. There is no hypocrisy in saying that laws change with the times..... |
