Glasson, Travis2025-04-152025-04-152025https://scholarshare.temple.edu/handle/20.500.12613/11008From colonial usage of opium to cocaine in Coca-Cola, mood-altering drugs have played a significant role in American history. Although substance abuse disorders have remained a consistent aspect of American society, the perception of people suffering from addiction has changed over time. For women, this change in perception has been drastic and intrinsically linked to race, class, and the progress of women’s rights. Prescription drug abuse among wealthy, white women in the 1950’s reflected womens adherence to the patriarchy, though opposition from second-wave feminists shifted society’s view of female drug-users to empathetic. However, the limited support for women of color in second-wave feminism resulted in the perception of low-income, non-white women during the crack epidemic of the late 1980’s-1990’s as “crack mothers”, a full reversal from the clean image of the 1950’s housewife. Though women were the primarily affected group of both the Valium panic and the crack epidemic, the intersection of gender and race informed the media's portrayal and government response. Both wealthy white women and impoverished minority women were victims of societal control– pharmaceutical industry practices, racial targeting by law enforcement, coercive sterilization– and drugs were used as devices by their oppressors.32 pagesengIN COPYRIGHT- This Rights Statement can be used for an Item that is in copyright. Using this statement implies that the organization making this Item available has determined that the Item is in copyright and either is the rights-holder, has obtained permission from the rights-holder(s) to make their Work(s) available, or makes the Item available under an exception or limitation to copyright (including Fair Use) that entitles it to make the Item available.http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/Drug abuseMothersCrack (Drug)--United StatesText