Common Sense Media Review
By Brian Costello
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Provocative docu about drugs, corruption, and racism.
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Crack: Cocaine, Corruption & Conspiracy
What's the Story?
CRACK: COCAINE, CORRUPTION & CONSPIRACY shows the ravages of the crack epidemic and the subsequent "War on Drugs" of the 1980s and into the '90s. Developed as a cheaper form of cocaine, crack soon spread throughout America, making millions for drug dealers, and soon spiraling out of control. As violent crime, homicide, and addiction wreaked havoc on America's inner cities, this documentary explores how so much cocaine got into America so easily, and the role cocaine smuggling played in the infamous "Iran-Contra Affair." Through interviews with recovering addicts, former dealers, journalists, community organizers, and academics, this documentary presents some horrific facts concerning how systemic racism and government corruption and hypocrisy led to African American communities bearing the terrible brunt of the tragedies and the arrests, even as the majority of crack users were White. The documentary shows how crack ruined the lives of so many, and how the "War on Drugs" made it worse by favoring punitive rather than health-based solutions to addiction.
Is It Any Good?
As the crack epidemic of the 1980s worsened, cocaine continued to arrive in America under suspicious circumstances, and the "War on Drugs" only made it worse. This is what is shown and discussed in the thoughtful and provocative documentary Crack: Cocaine, Corruption & Conspiracy. Through a mix of archival footage and contemporary interviews, this documentary paints a bleak and unsparing portrait of crack's spread throughout America, how it spiraled out of control, ruined lives, and led to a Reagan Administration "War on Drugs" that disproportionately went after communities of color, even as the majority of crack users were White.
It shows how the media bought into lies rooted in racism, such as the myth of "crack babies" that has since been disproven by medical professionals. While Nancy Reagan told the youth of America to "Just Say No," cocaine smuggling was a facet of the war on communism in Central America that resulted in the infamous "Iran Contra Scandal." It's a maddening and heartbreaking story of systemic racism, governmental corruption, and hypocrisy, expertly told and paced. In light of continued discussion and reflection on the role of systemic racism with drug addiction, crime, and the vast increase in the prison population since 1980, Crack: Cocaine, Corruption & Conspiracy is a relevant part of the discussion, an illuminating portrait of a terrible chapter in American history, and in some respects a tribute to the work journalists, community activists, and academics do to reveal truths that may be difficult to face about our country and society.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Crack: Cocaine, Corruption & Conspiracy compares to other documentaries. What methods are used in the documentary to tell this story from recent American history?
What might be an argument someone would make who disagreed with how the "War on Drugs" was waged in the 1980s? What are your thoughts on the facts and arguments presented in the movie?
How does the movie show the nature of drug addiction and how it was treated in the 1980s as compared to now?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : January 11, 2021
- Cast : Mitch Credle
- Director : Stanley Nelson
- Inclusion Information : Black Movie Director(s)
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Documentary
- Topics : History
- Run time : 89 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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