Fentanyl Leading Cause of Death in Black Community Rep. Jackson

Overdoses from the drug fentanyl are becoming the leading cause of death, even surpassing handguns, Congressman Jonathan Jackson (D-1st) warned at a health fair Saturday, Aug. 24, as HIV/AIDS growth was highest in the South Shore community, which includes Auburn Gresham.

“One in three American adults gets a human disease, and we’re taking it too far. We have the highest death rate from prostate cancer and the same is true for breast cancer,” Rep. Jackson said after meeting with several doctors from various Safety-Net hospitals.

Jackson made his comments during a news conference at the Community Health Resource Fair, which included free health screenings, held at Jackson Park Hospital, 7500 S. Cornell. He was joined by Ald. Michelle A. Harris (8th) and physicians from Roseland Community Hospital, St. Bernard Hospital and the South Shore hospitals, which are part of the South Side Safety-Net Hospitals that serve underserved communities.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), African Americans have higher rates of getting and dying from many types of cancer than people of other racial and ethnic groups. Blacks have the highest overall cancer death rate and have a lower overall five-year survival rate from cancer than whites.

According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), African Americans are more likely to be diagnosed with late-stage breast, lung, and colon cancer than whites. In addition, cancer is more difficult to treat if the disease has spread from the site of its origin to other parts of the body.

Rep. Jackson said the black community is served by Safety-Net hospitals “that have the lowest amount of reimbursement, the least amount of funding to serve neighborhoods where people are in the most dire circumstances.” He vowed to fight for more federal funding needed to increase the number of doctors and services for his district.

“The community of South Shore has one of the highest incidences of HIV/AIDS within its borders,” Ald. Harris told the Chicago Crusader. People were able to get tested and receive free medication. She also said that Jackson Park Hospital “is really busy with a lot of HIV-AIDS cases and is overloaded” with fentanyl overdoses. “This was an excellent health fair that provided the necessary services to people in need.” She thanked Rep. Jackson for hosting the fair, which came a day after the four-day National Democratic Convention.

When contacted, Luis Agostini, Public Information Officer for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for the Chicago Field Division, explained that the epidemic of fentanyl overdose and poisoning has affected all parts of Chicago, but according to the data, “it has disproportionately impacted the Black community of Chicago. At least half, if not nearly 60 percent of opioid overdose deaths are suffered by the Black community of Chicago.”

When asked why these overdoses are happening now, Agostini pointed to 2018 and 2019 when the rise in opioid overdose deaths began, along with other illegal drugs like heroin, cocaine and counterfeit pharmaceutical pills that he said were tainted with fentanyl. He blamed the rise in these overdoses on a combination of fentanyl trafficking and the production of counterfeit pills.

When looking at the heroin drug trade, Agostini explained that this drug is “very time- and labor-intensive and more expensive for the drug dealer and the distributor on the street level. With Fentanyl, it’s completely man-made. It’s cheap and has a much higher profit margin for drug dealers and distributors.”

According to Agostini, the two largest Mexican drug cartels that traffic fentanyl are Sinaloa and the Jalisco Cartel New Generation (CJNG). “They have an extensive network at the street level of distribution. The cartels trade and supply wholesale to the gangs, and they distribute the drugs. That’s where the profits are made.”

Referring to the gun violence that he said has always been “front and center” and continues to make headlines both locally and nationally, Agostini said data shows that twice as many people died from opioid overdoses, primarily from fentanyl, in Chicago last year than there were homicides.

Agostini looked at Cook County coroner data and said, “It appears that the majority of opioid overdose deaths in Chicago are due to fentanyl, with the majority occurring in the black community of Chicago.”

Last August, the DEA charged 10 people with trafficking fentanyl and other drugs on Chicago’s South Side. The DEA officials, who were part of a Chicago street gang, said they used special cellphones to receive and fulfill drug orders, while other suspects even worked shifts on the phones to distribute the drugs.

Agostini said, “Fentanyl remains the DEA’s highest priority because it is the leading cause of all overdose deaths.” The DEA continues to keep fentanyl investigations at the top of its agenda. He said there have been 111,000 overdose deaths nationwide, from prescription to recreational, “approximately 70 percent of which were from synthetic opioids like fentanyl.”

Ask about the availability of Narcan, a life-saving nasal spray that can reverse opioid overdoses; Agostini said there are a few vending machines that carry Narcan, including one at the Harold Washington Library. “You can grab one, no questions asked.”

Rep. Jackson said these free Narcan kits, which are placed in vending machines, have saved the lives of more than 100,000 people a year who overdose on fentanyl. He pledged to make more vending machines available in his district, where fentanyl has become a major problem.

When asked if there is a number the public can call to report suspected sales of fentanyl or other illegal drugs, Agostini urged the public to contact local police by texting CPDTIP.COM or DEA.GOV/SUBMIT-TIP.

Agostini said DEA officials will continue to work with local law enforcement partners at all levels, including community organizations. “We are prepared to lend our support and share space with those who are seeking