White, middle-class drug addicts treated more humanely than black, 1980s-era addicts
“Because the demographic of people affected are more white, more middle class, these are parents who are empowered.’’
While the crack cocaine epidemic of the 1980s in predominantly urban, black neighborhoods was treated with zero tolerance policies and mass incarceration, today’s opioid epidemic has elicited a more compassionate reaction from officials.
That’s partly because those most affected by opioid abuse are largely white, middle class, and suburban, The New York Times reports.
Overdoses from opioid drugs are rising rapidly in New England across all demographics. But the most common new opiate user is female, white, and lives in a suburban or rural area, according to a study from the Journal of the American Medical Association.
That means those most affected by the harsh policies of the War on Drugs are more connected to the systems and structures of policy-making.
“Because the demographic of people affected are more white, more middle class, these are parents who are empowered,’’ Michael Botticelli, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, told the Times. “They know how to call a legislator, they know how to get angry with their insurance company, they know how to advocate. They have been so instrumental in changing the conversation.’’
The topic of drug policy has gone national, too, as presidential candidates campaigning in New Hampshire have taken up the call for treating drug addiction with compassion.
You can read the rest of the story at The New York Times.
Gallery: Mass. General Hospital through the years
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