The quick high and relatively low cost of crack cocaine fueled a wave of drug addiction and crime that swept U.S. cities beginning in the 1980s and contributed to stricter penalties for drug possession and dealing.  Among its victims, the crack epidemic devastated thousands of American families through addiction, incarceration and separation.  Pregnant women addicted to crack cocaine faced some of the harshest sentences, including child abuse, delivery of drugs to a minor and even homicide.

Although the short-term effects of prenatal drug exposure are serious and damaging, medical research now shows that the long-term effects on health and brain development are less severe.  Was the “crack baby epidemic” dominating news reports and family courts in the 80s and 90s merely a myth?  In this episode of Law in 10, host Pam Hardy speaks with Professor Janet Bowermaster, who teaches child and family law at California Western.