Not Everyone Is Benefiting From Drops in Overdose Deaths
Dec. 2, 2024, 5:02 a.m. ET
Ms. Szalavitz is a contributing Opinion writer who covers addiction and public policy.
Drug overdose deaths fell by an estimated 14.5 percent from June 2023 to June 2024 â the most significant decline recorded in the 21st century. When I first heard the news, however, I was saddened.
A recent analysis shows that while such deaths are falling sharply among white people, they are still skyrocketing among Black people and Native Americans. Why? Because, contrary to claims that arrests push people into recovery, research shows that Black people, who are far more likely to be arrested in connection with drugs than white people are, despite similar rates of drug use and sales, are less likely to ever receive addiction treatment. Black people and Native Americans are also more likely to be incarcerated after arrest, which significantly raises overdose death risk. And people of color tend to have less access to naloxone.
Ricky Bluthenthal, a professor of public health at the University of Southern California and a longtime harm reduction leader for Black communities, argues that reducing these racial disparities must start with tearing down restrictions on addiction treatment medications and having local governments support targeted distribution of naloxone to communities of color.
President-elect Donald Trump wants to crack down on drug smuggling at the border and has suggested executing dealers. Republicans campaigned on attacking harm reduction programs that have done the most to distribute naloxone. Reversing these programs and strengthening punitive measures that failed to prevent the crisis wonât extend this positive trend and save more lives; it will merely do the opposite.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/02/opinion/drug-overdose-deaths-decline.html
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