Fact Sheet: The Impact of the Overdose Crisis on Black Communities in the United States

Fact Sheet June 28, 2024

Between 1999 and 2022, the Black overdose death rate increased more than six-fold. And those numbers have continued to increase. Why?

Black people often have difficulty accessing medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD). They may have limited access to harm reduction education, tools, and supplies. They face racist drug law enforcement that disproportionately targets them. And they experience mistreatment and stigma in healthcare settings.

To save lives, we need to decriminalize drug possession and harm reduction tools; improve access to medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD); expand and fund more harm reduction and overdose prevention services; and increase culturally sensitive services.

Read our fact sheet: The Impact of the Overdose Crisis on Black Communities in the United States

 

Related resources: 

White Faces, Black and Brown Lives: Understanding Trends in the Fourth Wave of the Overdose Crisis (2024 Webinar)

A young woman holds a sign that says "End the Drug War."

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