Studies show since the 1990's opioids were marketed more aggressively toward white rural areas that already had high prescription pain medicines.
Researchers believe, contrary to fact that this initial higher prescription rate was due to doctors racial biases that black people were more likely to sell the drugs, less likely to become addicted or could withstand more pain.
Researchers explain the racial bias could be unconscious. The accidental benefit of racial bias in this case was a rare case that actually helped shield African Americans from effects of the opioid epidemic.
