Len Bias Dies of Cocaine Overdose, Fueling Anti-Drug Legislation

Len Bias, a 22-year-old Black basketball star from the University of Maryland and the Boston Celtics' first-round draft pick, dies of a cocaine-induced cardiac arrest in his College Park dorm room. His death galvanizes Congressional support for emergency drug legislation. Within weeks Speaker Tip O'Neill fast-tracks what becomes the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986, embedding the 100:1 crack-to-powder disparity.