Justice

Scenes from Brazil's Crack Epidemic

The country is struggling to stem the spread of the drug in its urban slums.
REUTERS/Lunae Parracho

As Brazil's economy expands, so too does its demand for drugs. The world's second largest cocaine consumer behind the United States is struggling against a growing crack epidemic at the same time that it's preparing to host the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Cracolândia (which translates as 'Crack Land'), a roughly 10-block area of São Paulo that amounts to an open-air market for the purchase and consumption of crack, has proved particularly difficult for police to shut down.