As Overall Fatal Overdose Rates Fall, Black Drug Deaths Remain High

(WIB) – It’s undoubtedly good news: Late last year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that drug overdose deaths in the U.S. had fallen significantly between July 2023 and July 2024.But a closer look reveals a dark cloud around that silver lining. Black people are still dying from drug overdoses in higher numbers than whites.That’s due in part to systemic and social barriers to treatment. These include lack of access to healthcare, health insurance companies refusing to cover treatment, and the stigma of asking for help to overcome drug addiction. When the drop in addiction overdoses started making headlines last fall, Paul N. Samuels, director and president of the Legal Action Center in New York, called it encouraging news. Still, “it’s crucial to keep in mind that there are still places in this country and groups of people for which this is not the case,” he said in a statement.States that examine recent overdose data “have found that the declines are almost entirely among white people, while rates among Native American, Black, and Hispanic communities continue to rise,” Samuels said. Researchers and federal and state health officials don’t know exactly why overall drug overdose deaths have fallen so...