The crack epidemic had its origins in the 1970s and became widespread in the 1980s[1]. Crack was finally targeted in 1986 with laws that heavily punished crack dealers. This happened after crack became widespread throughout major American cities.[2]<p>&quot;The murders and general lawlessness that you reference from the 80s are a direct result of the War on Drugs.&quot;<p>Where were the &quot;murders and general lawlessness&quot; in other countries that had even more expansive Wars on Drugs, like Singapore or Taiwan? America&#x27;s War on Drugs is relatively mild compared to these countries that sentence drug traffickers to death.<p>[1] <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.crack-facts.org&#x2F;historyofcrack.html" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.crack-facts.org&#x2F;historyofcrack.html</a>
[2] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Crack_epidemic#History" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Crack_epidemic#History</a>