A new study published on Thursday reveals a stark increase in opioid overdose deaths among Black Americans. The study , conducted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse at the National Institutes of Health, surveyed data in Kentucky, Ohio, Massachusetts and New York, revealing opioid deaths increased by 38% in the Black community from 2018 to 2019, NPR reported . Furthermore, the study showed that opioid-related deaths for other racial groups did not increase.  Overdose deaths among Black Americans have been primarily due to the use of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid typically laced in heroin. At the beginning of the opioid crisis, Black Americans had a lower percentage than white people, and that number remained steady up until 2013. During that time, researchers saw that overdose deaths began increasing in the Black community. Dr. Edwin Chapman, internal medicine and addiction medicine specialist targeting the Black community in Washington D.C., said the new study shows the crisis'...