the great rise of cocaine use in the 80′s in the west happens to correspond exactly with the rise of AIDS
What’s your source for this? Looking at the cocaine statistics and AIDS statistics myself, I’m not seeing this correspondence. What I do see is that cocaine use dropped to a fraction of its peak level by 1990, while AIDS kept rising.
Just go down to the graph in your first link and look at the emergency room drug mentions and see the cocaine serge—it does indeed correspond to the AIDS epidemic. Deusberg’s 2003 paper has more on this, but it’s in the data you linked. From the emergency room data it looks like cocaine use was still growing up to 2001, but my point was with the rise. AIDS peaked in the mid 90′s from your data link.
What’s your source for this? Looking at the cocaine statistics and AIDS statistics myself, I’m not seeing this correspondence. What I do see is that cocaine use dropped to a fraction of its peak level by 1990, while AIDS kept rising.
Just go down to the graph in your first link and look at the emergency room drug mentions and see the cocaine serge—it does indeed correspond to the AIDS epidemic. Deusberg’s 2003 paper has more on this, but it’s in the data you linked. From the emergency room data it looks like cocaine use was still growing up to 2001, but my point was with the rise. AIDS peaked in the mid 90′s from your data link.