This chapter presents a comparative discourse analysisDiscourse analysis of how print media framed the Heroin Epidemic of the 1970s and the Opioid Crisis of the twenty-first century, revealing striking racializedRacial disparity disparities in language, sourcing, and thematic emphasis. Heroin users—primarily Black and Latino—were depicted as criminals and societal threats, while opioid users—predominantly white and suburban—were framed as victims deserving of care and public sympathy. Drawing on examples from six major U.S. newspapers, the chapter explores how official voices dominated heroin coverage, reinforcing punitivePunitive framing responses and moral condemnation. In contrast, opioid narratives emphasized systemic failure, medicalization, and institutional accountability. This chapter demonstrates how media framingMedia framing shaped public perception, reinforced structural inequality, and influenced vastly different policy responses. It argues that language, tone, and editorial choices are not neutral, but reflect and reproduce racial hierarchies that define whose pain is acknowledged and whose suffering is ignored. The findings challenge journalists and policymakers alike to reckon with the long-lasting effects of unequal narrative construction in times of public health crisis.