NIH study finds opioid overdose deaths continue to increase for Black people

The National Institutes of Health yesterday released a study revealing a 38% increase in the opioid overdose death rate for non-Hispanic Black people in four states during 2018-2019. The authors said data from New York suggests that certain racial groups benefit unequally from prevention and treatment efforts, as opioid overdose death rates declined by 18% for non-Hispanic white people and remained unchanged for non-Hispanic Black people. Overall, the rates of opioid deaths, driven by heroin and fentanyl, remained steady or decreased for other racial and ethnic groups. The NIH said the study aligns with other research demonstrating widening disparities in overdose deaths in Black communities, systemic racism and the need for equitable and community-based interventions.