I have no doubt that race is a huge contributor here, but also am sure that class is at play, too.”

Thanks very much for this piece. As someone who has lost a close loved one to heroin overdose (in a New England white suburb) and also has worked with drug users in more urban settings, I am excited by the harm reduction approach these new policies take. I also am wondering about the differences between how we treat meth addiction and how we treat heroin addiction, which are both occurring in white communities. I have no doubt that race is a huge contributor here, but also am sure that class is at play, too, at least in terms of who is pushing for these changes. I guess when it’s your child at risk, you do whatever you can, and if parents know how to do policy work and make change that way, they do.