While most of the opioid crisis was faced by rural whites, Latinos are experiencing an epidemic of overdose deaths. Experts attribute the increase in Latinos dying from opioid overdoses to the rising use of fentanyl and other drugs.
According to an report published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, overdose deaths among Latinos nearly tripled between 2011 and 2011,.
Overdose deaths have increased dramatically when fentanyl has been mixed with other drugs like methamphetamine and cocaine, which are more common among Latinos than heroin or prescription painkillers. According to Magdalena Cerda (study co-author) and professor at the Center for Opioid Epidemiology and Policy, NYU Langone.
Between 2007 and 2019, the number of fatal overdoses in Latinos due to opioids and cocaine increased 729%. When mixed with methamphetamines they rose 4,600%. Cerda stated that there is a lot in all drugs, with the exception of cannabis which is contaminated by fentanyl.
Cerda says that although it isn’t clear whether this mix was intentionally made or accidental, researchers believe both. Fentanyl can be addictive so dealers might mix it with other drugs to increase their client’s dependence. There are also those who take fentanyl in large doses because they have developed a tolerance and require higher dosages.
Experts warn that the opioid crisis is entering a new phase. What began with prescription painkillers such as OxyContin in 2000 is now almost completely dominated by illicit traffic of Fentanyl. This synthetic opioid is almost identical to heroin, but 50 times more potent than heroin, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Although Latinos have historically had lower overdose rates than whites, she stated that “it’s growing, so it is really worrying.”
With the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the opioid crisis took a more serious turn. Overdose deaths rose dramatically and Latinos were particularly hard hit. According to the CDC, in Nevada, drug overdose deaths among all races and ethnicities rose by 54.5% between 2019 and 2020. However, it rose by 119.7% for Latinos.
Latinos represent only 8.6% of rural areas and 19.8% of urban areas, American Cartel” (Inside the fight to bring down the opioid market). Scott participated in the January USC Annenberg online discussion about the issue.
However, smaller towns with large Latino populations are seeing an alarming increase in opioid deaths . This was evident in Carrollton Texas, where there were overdose deaths in teens as young at 14, a town that has over 30% Latino.
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Carlos Quintanilla from Accion America, a Dallas-based Latino community activist, said that after the Carrollton teens overdose deaths, he had to go to the bazaars and then go into the businesses. You have to get on the soccer fields and put together a comprehensive plan to address this life-threatening situation.
Latino addiction researchers also stress the importance of studying specific Latino subgroups.
Researchers Manuel Cano from the University of Texas at San Antonio and Camila Gelpii-Acosta from the City University of New York (CUNY) found that Puerto Ricans had higher overdose deaths rates than any other Latino groupbetween 2015-2019, and also beat whites between 2017 and 2019.
Researchers stressed the importance of studying Latinos as subgroups, not just one, when it comes to opioid addiction. This includes factors like whether they were born in the U.S.A. or abroad, whether they lived in segregated communities, as well as educational attainment.
Cerda stated that it is common for some Latino communities in the country to find religious rehab centers that emphasize faith-based treatment over evidence-based treatment when it comes to opioid addiction treatment.
These methods emphasize prayer and willpower over using drugs such as naloxone. Multiple studies have shown that they help addicts quit gradually, more safely, and with fewer relapses.
This is why Puerto Ricans, particularly those who live on the island, are struggling to find evidence-based rehab facilities.
Latino immigrants face difficulties in finding help in rehabilitation centres that offer support to them. Legal issues and language barriers are also obstacles. Cultural and religious barriers can make matters even more complicated.
In the meantime, Latino families are having more difficulty understanding overdose deaths in people who don’t have a history or weren’t aware they were using opioids.
In March 2022, two Latino families from Commerce City, a Denver suburb suffered the same fate. Six friends drank what they thought was cocaine one night. Five of them succumbed to an overdose of fentanyl the next day. One of them is Karina Rodriguez,mother to a 4-month old baby girl whose father overdosed and also died that night.
She didn’t have any drug problems, but she wanted to have some fun one night. She was poisoned,” Mileiah (sister to Karina) testified through tears during a Colorado Capitol legislative hearing about fentanyl. She didn’t deserve death, even if she had used cocaine that night.
Feliz, Feliz’s other sister, said that she was not an addict. “She stated that she was the happiest person she’d ever been in the weeks leading up to her death.”
