- Written by Danyella Wilder
- Published on 25th June 2021
Photo Credit: mladenbalinovac- Drug overdose deaths have risen sharply among Black Americans during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic with men being the most affected group.
- For years, the opioid epidemic has steadily contributed to the rise of deaths in Black communities as a public health crisis across the U.S., the Associated Press reported.
- Research from the University of California, Los Angeles stated that Black people had the highest jump in overdose deaths last year with a 50% increase. The nationwide increase was 42%.
- The Associated Press reports that drug-related deaths for Black people in St. Louis rose 33% during the pandemic, three times the rate of white Americans. Black men are now four times as likely as a white person to die of an overdose.
