When Black Americans do find their way into drug treatment, critics say they frequently find programs that don't match the reality of their lives. Often it's even difficult to find basic life-saving drugs like Naloxone, an easily-administered medication that reverses opioid overdoses.Ī recovery system where Black Americans feel unwelcome "That's what's been in place for a long time, and I don't see that we've made progress in that."Īddiction experts describe "treatment deserts" in many Black communities, where high-quality, affordable rehab programs are scarce or nonexistent. "Arrests and incarceration, that's the way it was dealt with," Taylor said. Stephen Taylor, who co-authored the ASAM report, said too often people of color with addiction are viewed as "the prototype of a criminal." Last week, the American Society of Addiction Medicine released a policy statement condemning "systemic racism in drug policy and addiction medicine" and demanding reforms.ĭr. "We're still seeing punitive measures, harsh measures happening in those minority communities, and there's a lack of rehabilitative facilities," said Jasmine Drake, a former Drug Enforcement Administration researcher who teaches at Texas Southern University. That means long-term health care and life-saving medications.īy contrast, people of color and poor Americans who experience addiction regularly face arrest and incarceration, while rarely gaining access to high-quality healthcare. In part, the trend reflects the spread of fentanyl, a toxic synthetic opioid that contaminates street drugs sold illegally in the U.S.īut critics also blame America's drug war, which shaped what many experts describe as a two-track system for people experiencing addiction.įor whites and those who are financially well-off, substance use disorder is often treated as a chronic but survivable illness. Racial legacy of "drug war" policies that left "treatment deserts" She said preliminary findings show "really concerning" racial disparities, with Black overdose deaths rising significantly faster than among whites.Īcademics, public health officials and addiction treatment experts interviewed by NPR said these indicators are deeply troubling but not surprising.Įven before the pandemic, studies showed overdose rates in Black communities rising much faster than among whites. Jordan is part of a team analyzing overdose data collected in California during the pandemic. Ayana Jordan, a researcher at Yale University. "The COVID-19 pandemic has sharply exacerbated the inequities of the overdose crisis, which is really, really scary," said Dr. This added to a growing sense of alarm among researchers and public health officials. Her findings were published January in a peer-reviewed study in the Journal of the American Medical Association. "COVID really just acted as salt in the wounds of health and social inequities, perpetuated by structural racism both in Philadelphia and across the country," Khatri said. They found overdose deaths surged more than 50% among the city's Black residents.Īmong whites, by contrast, drug overdose fatalities remained flat and in some months even declined. Khatri's team analyzed drug overdose data collected in Philadelphia during the pandemic. Utsha Khatri, a researcher at the University of Pennsylvania. "It wasn't until we started looking at the level of race and ethnicity that we realized Black and brown communities are being disproportionately affected," said Dr. While the CDC doesn't track overdose deaths by race, a growing body of research suggests Black Americans have suffered the heaviest toll.Ī deadly collision of race, addiction and COVID-19 Scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say fatal drug overdoses nationwide have surged roughly 20% during the pandemic, killing more than 83,000 people in 2020. "We got a phone call from my mom's boyfriend that he found her dead," Jenkins said. In December, Hughey who was 48 years old used methamphetamines contaminated with the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl. "She asked, you know? Can I get the rehab? I have a drug problem. She was using methamphetamines and in November she was arrested.Īccording to Jenkins, her mother tried to get help. The loneliness and isolation of the pandemic made Hughey's substance use disorder worse.
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Jenkins, who lives in upstate New York, says her mom, Sonya Hughey, had a hard life, first using crack cocaine when she was a teenager.
She would take us outside and we would make bubbles." "She used to buy two bottles of dish soap," Jenkins said.
When Latoya Jenkins talks about her mom, she likes to focus on happy memories like the games she used to play with her kids.
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