Cocaine Epidemic in the USA in 1980s Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Cocaine Epidemic in the USA in 1980s - Essay Example The middle of the 1990s can be considered as the late phase of the epidemic. Since 1991 the number of people who use cocaine very often (at least every day) remains stable and amounts to 640  000 people. Approximately 16% of people who used cocaine lost control and dependency occurred. That happened under the influence of many factors. Two important factors are the availability and the cost of the drug. Till 1980s cocaine hydrochloride used for intranasal and intravenous injection was the only available form of cocaine. Moreover, it was very expensive. Then cheaper alkaloids of cocaine, which could be used by means of inhalation, appeared. Moreover, they were available in many big cities just for $2-5 for dose. Due to this fact, cocaine became available even for children and teenagers. In general, men used drugs more often than women and for cocaine, this correlation amounts to 2:1. However, the use of cheap alkaloids of cocaine was very widespread among young women and reaches the level that is characteristic for men. Due to this fact, the popularity of the use of cocaine among pregnant women was high. The third very important factor that influenced people was the fashion. It was fashionable and prestigious to use cocaine, it was very popular among rich and people blindly followed the stereotypes. Young people and teenagers were the most vulnerable. They were sure that in order to be considered â€Å"cool†, it is necessary to start using cocaine. Certainly, such stereotypes had many awful consequences (Demarest). The cocaine epidemic was depicted in many movies. Some of them were even forbidden due to the active propaganda of cocaine use. The movie â€Å"Blow† (2001) tells us the real story of a man who decided to become one of the first distributors of cocaine in the United States. He made many famous and rich people dependent on cocaine, his sharpness allowed him to avoid any conflicts with police. But everything comes to the end at last. The movie â€Å"Scarface† tells spectators about the history of cocaine use in the USA when it was brought by criminals from Cube.