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MONDAY, Sept. 13, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- The decades-long U.S. opioid epidemic could be hitting Black people harder than white folks as the crisis enters a new phase.

A study published Thursday reveals a growing racial disparity in opioid overdose death rates. Deaths among African Americans are growing faster than among whites across the country. The study authors call for an "antiracist public health approach" to address the crisis in Black communities.

Jordynn Smith is said to be the youngest Lucas County person to have died of a fentanyl overdose during the opioid crisis, the coroner's office said.

Non-Hispanic Black individuals in four U.S. states experienced a 38% increase in the rate of opioid overdose deaths from 2018 to 2019, while the rates for other race and ethnicity groups held steady or decreased, according to a new study by the National Institutes of Health published in the American Journal of Public Health.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — The mental health needs of area residents and the ongoing fight against opioid overdoses can feel like a “never-ending battle,” and local responders are being recognized.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The Ohio Supreme Court is deciding whether the insurance company for a drug distributor should be forced to provide a legal defense in the company’s fight against government lawsuits related to the opioid epidemic.

Governor Mike DeWine signed Senate Bill 30 in June designating Aug. 31, as Ohio Overdose Awareness Day to raise public awareness and to remember the lives lost to the epidemic.

(Reuters) - Supermarket and pharmacy chain Giant Eagle has lost a bid to escape claims by two Ohio counties that it fueled opioid addiction by ignoring red flags that prescriptions were being used for illegal sales.