Commentary: Surging overdose deaths are a tragic racial justice issue

Drug overdoses, which gained attention in recent years as a “white problem,” are now more common among Black Americans.

In 2020, drug overdose death rates among Black Americans overtook those of white Americans for the first time since the 1990s, according to our recent analysis of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This was a sharp reversal from 2010, when white Americans were over twice as likely to die of overdose.

The U.S. is