Opioid Crisis: Another Mechanism Used to Perpetuate American Racism

Objectives: Recently, driven largely by opioid-related deaths, President Donald Trump proclaimed that the opioid problem was now a national emergency. What looks like a radical shift to a more compassionate drug policy ‒ one that favors treatment over incarceration ‒ has encouraged many to hope that there will be far fewer drug-related arrests and deaths than there were in previous decades. Methods and Results: We present evidence showing that large numbers of drug-related arrests persist and that racial discrimination is evident in opioid-related arrests. In addition, conventional strategies implemented to address opioid-related deaths have proven inadequate. Conclusions: We propose solutions grounded in reason and evidence rather than moralism.