It can and will cause financial disaster for a family or business. The user will generally begin to steal from the home, then the neighborhood to support the habit. Users will also become dealers to assist in off setting the cost of the drug. Increased traffic in the neighborhood and suspicious activity will follow. As with any addictive drug crime follows the path of its use and sale.
Neighborhoods see an increase in burglaries, thefts, and violence.
The violence is usually a by-product of the fight for customers in a particular area. The sad result is the victims are usually innocent persons caught in the middle. Crack cocaine is one of the primary reasons for this. Cocaine, as with any addictive drug, poses more problems for the community than just having another addict on the street. Crime is always associated with the use of any drug.