There is a widespread belief that some physician's attitudes regarding African American and Latino patients and pain tolerance have impacted the prevalence of prescription opioid abuse in our communities. These same physicians assume that African American and Latino patients have higher pain tolerance and do not require prescription opiates to manage pain. Many physicians are hesitant to distribute the medication because of racially-based assumptions/stereotypes that injured African Americans, and Latino patients would sell the prescription versus using them to heal their conditions.

Such examples of discrimination and racism impact African American and Latino patients' actions have to severely painful ailments needing medication. The lack of proper medical treatment increases the possibility that injured African American and Latino patients will seek illegal synthetic opioids, which are often laced with fentanyl. Due to negative stereotypes, black and brown people receive from police; they are also less likely to report overdoses or seek treatment for opioid misuse.

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Although cocaine misuse is historically higher in our communities, the current increasing numbers of misused synthetic opioids in our communities are on the rise. In 2014, the number of black opioid-related deaths began to rise, similar to white opioid-related deaths. The addition of fentanyl to these drugs has made a destructive combination, causing an increase in the death toll for African Americans and Latinos.