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Black communities continue to experience opioid overdoses and misuse.

   January 3, 2024
Black communities continue to experience opioid overdoses and misuse.


Rising opioid-related deaths in Black communities are associated with health disparities.

Traditionally, the opioid epidemic has been considered to predominantly affect white Americans in rural regions. This was partly intentional, as pharmaceutical corporations chose these locations to avoid the gaze of law enforcement officials. Black people were much less likely to receive opioids for pain control, even when medically necessary in emergency situations, which contributed to a higher likelihood of opioid addiction among white Americans. However, recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicates that the rapid infiltration of opioids into Black communities is accelerating the growth of the epidemic.

More black Americans are dying from drug overdoses, according to new research.

The opioid crisis is gradually ensnaring Black people, according to a report just released by the CDC. Opioid overdoses increased 30% in 2020 compared to 2019, resulting in 91,799 deaths. However, the growth was not universally observed. The death rate among African Americans increased by 44%, the largest increase of all racial and ethnic groups, and twice that of white Americans.

graph showing opioid death rates from 2001 to 2020, with a blue line for whites and a red line for blacks

In 2020, for the first time in the history of the opioid epidemic, the death rate from opioid overdoses was higher among African Americans than whites, largely due to the rise of illicit fentanyl.

The opioid death rate increased by 86% among black youth ages 15 to 24. In fact, according to my research from the CDC’s WONDER database, for the first time in the two-decade history of the opioid crisis, Black Americans had a higher opioid death rate than white Americans in 2020. .

Opioid deaths increase the systemic burden on Black communities.

At a time when the COVID-19 pandemic and police brutality are disproportionately harming Black communities, the growing opioid epidemic is wreaking even more havoc on them. The opioid epidemic is exacerbating existing inequalities in the United States. According to a CDC study, places with the highest degree of income disparity had twice the rate of opioid deaths among African Americans compared to those with the lowest degree of income inequality.

What is causing this increase in opioid-related deaths?

Why has opioid abuse among African Americans increased during the pandemic? Fentanyl, an opioid significantly more dangerous than others, has overtaken the United States as a result of uncontrolled international exports. An investigation published by a team in the Journal of the American Medical Association revealed that the epidemic was related to a decrease in opioid prescriptions, with later indicating that this decrease was limited to newly prescribed opioids.

This decline was caused by the closure of clinics and pharmacies, but abruptly stopping prescription opioids is harmful. A recent study found that patients who are suddenly taken off opioids are more likely to commit suicide because they may turn to illegal opioids such as heroin and fentanyl.

Unequal access to addiction treatment compounds the problem.

Who actually has access to substance abuse treatment is a large contributor to the growing racial gap in opioid abuse. While only 14% of people who died from opioid overdoses received substance abuse treatment, only 8% of African Americans did, the lowest rate of all groups. The pandemic had a devastating impact on treatment programs for opioid use disorder, causing the abrupt closure of services that were lifelines for many users.

Policy changes and better access to pain treatments could turn the tide.

Simply providing resources for substance abuse and mental health is unlikely to have a significant impact. The highest opioid-related mortality rates among African Americans were seen in areas with greater accessibility to mental health and addiction treatment centers. A comprehensive public health and outreach campaign is needed in Black communities to raise awareness about the dangers of opioid abuse, provide community-based services for harm reduction and addiction treatment, and reduce the stigma associated with opioid abuse. and seeking treatment.

One of the initiators of the War on Drugs. revealed its racist character. The last thing we need is to criminalize the use and misuse of these medications, which could further put at risk already vulnerable Black communities, who are disproportionately affected by opioids and overenforcement. In the National Drug Control Strategy announced earlier this year For the Biden administration, eradicating fentanyl from the streets through stronger oversight is a priority, but care must also be taken to protect Black Americans who are suffering or who have been prescribed chronic opioids.

Chronic pain sufferers can gain significant relief with evidence-based interdisciplinary pain treatments, and it is crucial that all patients, especially those who already suffer disproportionately, have access to these therapies. To ensure that Black people have access to adequate pain treatments. and we are not disproportionately affected by the opioid epidemic, we must ensure that all barriers to treatment are addressed.



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