‘Historically tragic’: why are drug overdoses rising among Black and Indigenous Americans?

The staggering increase highlights the shifting dynamics and focus of the opioid crisis, long considered a white, rural issue

As the drug overdose crisis in the United States exploded during the coronavirus pandemic - killing an unprecedented 100,000 people in 12 months - Black and Indigenous Americans were increasingly likely to become the victims.

Drug overdose rates in America surged by 31% in 2020, according to figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as the pandemic left many facing lockdowns, and economic and emotional strain. But researchers at the University of California Los Angeles have found that the death rate surged most dramatically among Black and Indigenous Americans, who saw a staggering increase of 49% and 43% respectively in just one year.