Why did the opioid crisis get compassion… but crack never did? The way America responded to addiction changed based on who was affected. When crack cocaine spread in the 1980s, it primarily impacted Black communities. The response was harsh sentencing, aggressive policing, and mass incarceration. Addiction was framed as crime. When opioids spread through white suburban and rural communities, the response shifted. Addiction became a public health crisis. Treatment, rehab, lawsuits against corpora