Usually folks blame drugs for the moral breakdown in poor communities. But drugs, hard and soft, have always been present in black life. The social context in which they were once used was one that emphasized pleasure, not escape from dehumanization and pain. When poor and destitute people of any race are made to feel that they really have no right to exist because they lack the material goods that give life meaning, it is this immoral climate that sets the stage for widespread addiction. In recent years, when poverty has been depicted as a crime against humanity, poor people of all races have been seen as criminals and treated accordingly. This demoralization shames. It creates depression, despair, and the dangerous life-threatening nihilism black leaders talk about. It lays the emotional groundwork for widespread addiction.

— Salvation by bell hooks (Page 68 - 69)