We know how to save Black Americans from overdoses. Will Congress actually do it?
My brother Phillip has fought a long battle against addiction and overdose. I talk publicly about his struggle in an effort to end the stigma surrounding treatment.
As the former surgeon general of the United States and a Black man, I feel compelled to tell Congress: Black Americans need your help.
Substance use disorder affects communities across America, but it doesn’t affect all communities the same. The epidemic of addiction and overdose disproportionately impacts Black Americans.
According to data from the National Institutes of Health, Black and white Americans use drugs about the same rate, yet Black Americans are four times more likely to be incarcerated.
We’re less likely to receive treatment – and we’re more likely to die. In March, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that the death rate for white Americans dropped for the first time in years, while rates for overdose deaths among Black Americans increased by 7.5%.
The stigma associated with substance use disorder also disproportionately affects Black Americans. My brother Phillip has fought a long battle against addiction and overdose, and I talk publicly about his struggle in an effort to end the stigma surrounding treatment.
I shared Phillip’s story at a recent panel on Capitol Hill, where I also briefed members of Congress on the substance use disorder’s harmful impact on Black America.
In no uncertain terms, I told Congress, this is a crisis. But it’s not a crisis without solutions. We know what to do.
Increase access to methadone and buprenorphine
Methadone is the gold-standard medication for treating substance use disorder and reducing drug cravings. It’s also the treatment most likely to be available to Black communities. The bipartisan Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act would safely increase access to methadone by allowing licensed physicians to prescribe the medication from retail pharmacies.
Buprenorphine is another medication widely used, and patients prescribed this are less likely to seek out illicit drugs and are at lower risk of dying from an overdose. However, Black patients were found to be significantly less likely to be prescribed buprenorphine to treat opioid use disorder than white patients.
By taking immediate steps to end this disparity and increase access to these medications, Congress can save lives.
Ease incarcerated persons' path back to society
Within two weeks after release, formerly incarcerated individuals are more than 40 times more likely to die from an overdose than the general population. Because Black Americans are more likely to be jailed for drug-related crimes than white Americans, this is a tragedy directly harming our communities.
Connecting individuals to treatment whilethey’re incarcerated gives them a pathway to breaking the cycle of addiction once released – and the Reentry Act would do just that. This bipartisan bill would reinstate Medicaid benefits 30 days before release, providing incarcerated people with treatment and easing their transition back into society.
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Expand access to harm reduction for substance use disorder
Finally, we must reduce harm for people suffering from substance use disorder.
When I served as the U.S. surgeon general, I issued an advisory on naloxone, encouraging all Americans to carry this critical medicine. When administered during an overdose, naloxone can reverse the impacts, preventing death.
We should also fund syringe service programs. These community-based prevention programs allow people suffering from substance use disorder to access and dispose of sterile syringes, acting as a bridge between individuals and treatment options like medication-assisted treatment.
Research shows that new users of these programs are five times more likely to enter drug treatment and about three times more likely to stop using drugs than those who don’t enter the programs.
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Unfortunately, Black Americans are underrepresented in syringe service programs, depriving them of this vital link to treatment. Congress must fund more programs in underserved areas.
During the recent briefing on Capitol Hill, I urged members of Congress to take these steps to address the disproportionate impact of substance use disorder on Black communities. Today, I’m reiterating this call for action.
We’re living in a moment of extreme, all-hands-on-deck urgency. Black Americans suffering from substance use disorder need help – and Congress must act.
Dr. Jerome Adams, MD, MPH, FASA, is Purdue University's executive director of Health Equity Initiatives and a former U.S. surgeon general.