Whiteout: How Racial Capitalism Changed the Color of Opioids in America

The opioid crisis was primarily driven by white racial privilege and despair, according to Whiteout, which argues that a century of structural racism in drug policy and profit-oriented medical industries led to mass white overdose deaths.

Format: Hardback
Length: 384 pages
Publication date: 28 March 2023
Publisher: University of California Press

The first critical analysis of how Whiteness drove the opioid crisis has been a topic of much debate in recent years. While media images of the "new face" of the US opioid crisis have often depicted a surprisingly white population, it has been unclear why this crisis has been so prevalent among white communities. Some have argued that skyrocketing overdoses are "deaths of despair" signaling deeper socioeconomic anguish in these communities.

Whiteout, a new book by authors Emily Bazelon, Sarah McLaughlin, and Jennifer Klein, makes the counterintuitive case that the opioid crisis was not just the result of despair but also of white racial privilege. The book is anchored by interviews, data, and firsthand narratives from three leading experts in the field: an addiction psychiatrist, a policy advocate, and a drug historian. Through their insights, the authors reveal how a century of structural racism in drug policy and in profit-oriented medical industries has led to mass white overdose deaths.

The authors implicate racially segregated health care systems, the racial assumptions of addiction scientists, and relaxed regulation of pharmaceutical marketing to white consumers as key factors contributing to the crisis. They argue that these practices have created a system that prioritizes the needs of white people over those of people of color, leading to a higher risk of overdose and addiction.

Whiteout is an unflinching account of how racial capitalism is toxic for all Americans. The book challenges readers to think critically about the ways in which race and class intersect in the healthcare system and the pharmaceutical industry and to work towards creating a more equitable and just society. It is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the roots of the opioid crisis and the ongoing challenges facing communities of color.

Weight: 660g
Dimension: 160 x 237 x 31 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780520384057