It's also due to the fact that at least for a while, the DEA made ether unavailable. So the drug labs turned to benzene as a substitute. The problem is benzene

It's also due to the fact that at least for a while, the DEA made ether unavailable. So the drug labs turned to benzene as a substitute. The problem is benzene is gasoline and no one is putting powder that smells like gasoline up their nose. The solution? Cook crack. The smell disappears when you boil the powder with baking soda. Had it not been for the DEA, crack never would have been an option.