This man proudly and brazenly sold drug paraphernalia openly on the streets of Uptown (as well as other north side neighborhoods) during the mid-1970s. A drug culture was taking root throughout America and Uptown was no exception. The many abandoned buildings in Uptown became centers of drug distribution and were also used for drug parties. Forty years later, most crime in America is related to drugs. Sometimes the crimes are related to selling, possession, manufacturing and distribution. Other times, people commit thefts, assaults and burglaries to get money to buy drugs. The amazing thing here is that somehow this man had a license to sell; he had obtained a City of Chicago peddlers license for his tokers.
