Montee Ball sees a brutal double standard between the response to the current opioid crisis and that of the crack epidemic in the 1980s.

“We got prison sentences — 10 years, 20 years — disenfranchising Black and Brown communities. But nowadays it’s, ‘Oh, it’s mental health.’ It’s, ‘Let’s give them the help they need.’ We didn’t receive that same treatment.”

Racist drug policies, coupled with systemic racism in the health care and criminal justice systems, have sowed distrust and imposed devastating consequences on Black and Brown communities.

People and families struggling with substance use and addiction encounter a variety of systemic challenges throughout their journey, which is why we created a new section of our website called “Help Us Change the Story of Addiction.” The site features personal stories like Montee’s that bring these structural barriers to life. Each story highlighted will offer visitors an opportunity to advocate for specific policy change by signing an action alert or by sharing similar stories from their own journey.

Let’s start re-writing the story of addiction today.