Crack Capturing the Audience's Attention Essay

A. Supporting details (Give citation)

Crack is a powerful central nervous system stimulant that can increase risk for cardiovascular incidents, strokes, and other deadly effects (National Institute on Drug Abuse 2009).

B. Supporting details (Give citation)

Addicts may even use crack cocaine while pregnant, severely harming their children. "Fetal cocaine effects include premature separation of the placenta, spontaneous abortion, premature labor, low birthweight and head circumference at birth, greater chance of visual impairment, mental retardation, genitourinary malformations, and greater chance of developmental problems," (American Council for Drug Education 2001).

C. Supporting details

Crack addiction is associated with high-risk sex, and therefore increases the risk of contracting deadly STDs and AIDS (American Council for Drug Education 2001).

V. Conclusion

A. Restatement of thesis

Addiction to crack is both a cause and an effect of underlying social, political, and economic issues.

B. Wrap up of major ideas

Crack has affected poor communities more than wealthy ones, tearing apart families and increasing rates of crime in places already plagued by social ills. The stigma of crack addiction exacerbates the problem of addiction.Long-term usage of crack is associated with major health problems and some crack addicts pass on their problems to their innocent children.

C. Concluding statement that returns to topic used to capture audience's attention.

To combat the problem of crack, it is essential to view it as a product of social, political, and economic realities.

References

American Council for Drug Education (2001). Basic facts about drugs: cocaine. Retrieved Nov 17, 2009 from http://www.acde.org/common/Cocaine.htm

Baumer, E. (2007). Poverty, crack, and crime: A cross-city analysis. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, Vol. 31, No. 3, 311-327

Cowen, T. (2005). Crime and crack. Out of the Crooked Timber. Retrieved Nov 17, 2009 from http://crookedtimber.org/2005/05/23/looking-forward/

Crack Addicts Face Added Stigma in Housing (2007). Join Together. Retrieved Nov 17, 2009 from http://www.jointogether.org/news/headlines/inthenews/2007/crack-addicts-face-added.html

"In Search of the Big Bang." (nd). Retrieved Nov 17, 2009 from http://www.cocaine.org/

National Institute on Drug Abuse (2009). Crack and cocaine. Retrieved Nov 17, 2009 from http://www.nida.nih.gov/Infofacts/cocaine.html.....