'Crack Baby' Scare Overblown: Fallout from Crack Cocaine Epidemic Minimal

It may be time to retire the term "crack baby." New research reveals that the fallout from the crack cocaine epidemic that plagued American cities in the 1980s may not be as bad as we once thought. A study in teens found little proof of any major long-term ill effects in children whose mothers used the substance during pregnancy.

In the 1980s, the price of crack cocaine--a solid, smokeable form of cocaine--became cheap and readily available in major cities across the nation, including New York, Los Angeles and Detroit, according to Medical Daily. The growth in crack use became a huge issue in these cities as crime increased and public health officials worried about the potential fallout in later generations.

Yet it seems that their fears were relatively unfounded. Researchers reviewed 27 studies involving more than 5,000 11 to 17-year olds whose mothers had used cocaine while pregnant. These particular studies mainly involved low-income, mostly black and urban families--those hit hardest by the crack cocaine epidemic in the 1980s, according to the AP. More specifically, the researchers examined behavior, cognition and school performance, brain structure and function and physiological responses.

So what did the researchers discover? It turns out that there were some differences between babies that had prenatal cocaine exposure and those who did not--an expected find. What was unexpected, though, was the fact that these differences were minimal. In fact, the differences could potentially be explained by other mitigating factors, such as economic status and access to opportunities, according to Medical Daily.

The findings support a growing body of evidence the reveals that scientific reports in the 1980s were exaggerated and incorrect in their portrayal of children exposed to cocaine in utero. While researchers worried that babies that had been exposed to the substance would be more likely to grow up and be crack users, there is no evidence that supports the theory. The fact that researchers are now finding that the fallout is minimal is a good sign for children that were exposed.

The findings were published in the journal Pediatrics.