U.C. Berkeley Extension Studies the Myths and Realities of Crack Cocaine in
New Course

BERKELEY, Calif.(BUSINESS WIRE)April 22, 1997Over the past six years,
the claims being made about the evils of drugs have been almost exactly the
same as those made during the temperance movement at the turn of the
century.

At that time it was asserted that if alcohol use could be expunged then all
the social ills associated with it like crime, child and spousal abuse
and poverty would miraculously disappear. In the opinion of Craig
Reinarman, author and professor of sociology and legal studies, in the
nearly 100 years since, not much has really changed in our approach.

New this term, "Crack Cocaine: The Myths and Realities," a oneday UC
Berkeley Extension course, will examine a range of longterm solutions and
intervention strategies that may well prove more productive than any "war on
drugs."

The course will cover the history of crack cocaine, its spread among the
most impoverished and vulnerable parts of the population, the psychosocial
and political problems associated with its use and official government
responses to them. These developments will also be put in the context of
the earlier "drug scares" of the 19th and 20th centuries.

"Crack Cocaine: The Myths and the Realities" will meet on Saturday, May 17,
9 a.m. 4 p.m., UC Berkeley Extension, 1995 University Ave., Berkeley. The
fee is $120. For more course information, call 510/6436901.

One of Reinarman's biggest concerns is that if we, as a society, continue to
misunderstand the basic appeal of selling and using crack, then we'll
certainly continue to come up with ineffective solutions. For example, he
points out that not one antidrug commercial currently airing on television
makes a connection between drug abuse and poverty.

Course instructor Craig Reinarman, Ph.D., is professor of sociology and
legal studies at UC Santa Cruz and coauthor of "Cocaine Changes: The
Experience of Using and Quitting" (1991) and editor of "Crack in America:
Demon Drugs and Social Justice" (1997). He has also done research on
cocaine use for the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the World Health
Organization.

A core objective of his course is to equip students to critically analyze
claims about drug problems and thereby be better able to sift the
pharmacological and sociological facts from this political and media
rhetoric. Put more simply, the course seeks to replace the simplistic myths
regarding crack cocaine with more complex and accurate realities.

To register, call UC Berkeley Extension at 510/6424111, or visit our
website at http://www.unex.edu:4243

CONTACT:

UC Berkeley Extension, Berkeley

Alice Boatwright, 510/6438093

KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA

INDUSTRY KEYWORD: MEDICINE PHARMACEUTICAL EDUCATION ADVISORY

BW0194 APR 22,1997