The Money Behind the ’80s Treatments for Cocaine Addiction

In the 1980s, shoulder pads were in, the USSR was still together, and the drug “epidemic” was fueled by cocaine along with its cheaper derivative, crack. At the same time, growing public awareness of addiction — and recovery — created a whirlwind of investment in treatment services. In 1982, former first lady Betty Ford’s admission that she abused prescription pills and alcohol showed that not even the first family is immune… read more >