From cocaine came crack, from crack came the destruction of families and communities across several generations.
During the crack epidemic of the 1980’s, white Americans watched from home as African-Americans died overdosing on crack, and those who were lucky enough to survive the high were jailed for having the substance.
The war on drugs that began in the 70’s added to the fire of the crack epidemic. People from affected communities felt as if the war was not on the drug itself, but on them. Today, one could still drive through most black neighborhoods in the United States and see the devastation left behind from the crack epidemic.
Opioids however, is a completely different subject; or is it? The year is 2019 and prescription pills reign supreme in an astonishing number of white communities across the country.
Now, black Americans watch from home as white Americans die overdosing on pills.
The difference between both epidemics is that African-Americans are left with a sense of confusion while learning about opioids on the news.
Unlike African-American neighborhoods in Los Angeles circa 1985, there are no battering ram tanks driving through the neighborhoods of white residents in Los Angeles to bust opioid dealers.
In 2019, the battering rams were replaced with treatment facilities. People are now empathetic about how so many people are dying by overdosing on medication.
Instead of being arrested and jailed because of an addiction, opioid addicts have the power to sue the people responsible for making a blockbuster painkiller that they would eventually get addicted to.
I am not writing to belittle anyone who is battling addiction, that is not my purpose whatsoever. If you are reading this article and you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, I really hope you get better.
I am writing this to emphasize the privilege one group has that another did not; the patience and empathy the United States has for one group, was nowhere to be found when another group sold everything, including themselves, to get high.
Where do we go from here?
Children are watching as entertainers promote drug use as a positive. Unlike parents before the tech boom, parents today cannot easily sensor what is shown to their child through technology. We can start by shaming entertainers who make drug abuse of any kind popular.
The question should not be “why does the opioid epidemic in white communities get so much attention and care,” it should be “what can be done to help rebuild life in our communities?”
How can the African-American community feel loved by our country when we can walk to the corner store and see our uncle or aunt strung out beyond belief? We take things like that in stride, and we have done the best we can to help our people out, but there is only so much we can do.
Whether or not the government steps in to aid the struggle with addiction, the fact still remains that these people look like us, are from our communities, and we must continue to do what we can to help those who are losing the battle with addiction.
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