Stark Racial Disparities Found in Opioid and Stimulant Deaths

Combined opioid and stimulant deaths among Black Americans increased at more than three times the rate of those among non-Hispanic white Americans between 2007 and 2019, according to a new study.

Researchers found during this period there was a 575% increase in the rate of Black Americans dying from opioid and cocaine overdoses, compared with a 184% increase among white Americans, HealthDay reports.

The study also found a significant increase in opioid and stimulant overdose deaths among Hispanic and Asian Americans.

“While all racial and ethnic groups we examined are dying in greater numbers from opioids combined with stimulants, we are alarmed to see these trends worsening so much faster in marginalized communities that have historically been less affected by the current epidemic,” study lead author Tarlise Townsend of NYU Langone said in a news release. “We need to be targeting harm reduction and treatment strategies to those who are being hardest hit,” Townsend said.