Las muertes por sobredosis de drogas en los Estados Unidos pueden estar disminuyendo, pero no para todas las personas

Las estadísticas recientes muestran una disminución en las muertes, pero estas tasas probablemente estén aumentando en comunidades racializadas debido a una criminalización desproporcionada y la escasez de recursos. Más información, en inglés, está disponible abajo.

Late last month, news outlets reported that drug overdose deaths across the country were "falling fast," in a “promising” trend that is “saving thousands of lives — But many people working on the ground in harm reduction spaces say the national trend does not align with what they are seeing as they continue to watch people who use drugs in their community die at alarming rates.

In Ashland County, Wisconsin, for example, there were more overdose fatalities in the first half of 2024 than there were in all of 2023, and the majority of people who died were American Indian Alaska Natives, said Philomena Kebec, economic development coordinator for the Bad River Tribe.

“I think we need to celebrate the reduction in overall fatality but it has to be couched within this qualification that some racial groups are not experiencing a decrease in overdoses,” Kebec told Salon in a phone interview. “In fact, we've been seeing an increase in overdose fatality rates, and we're also really hobbled by the data lag in getting this information.”