Stigma Toward Naloxone: Racial-Ethnic Differences and Implications for Opioid Overdose Response

By Emily Pasman, PhD, LMSW

Overdose education and naloxone distribution programs, also known as naloxone trainings, are a key strategy for reducing overdose fatalities. These programs expand access to overdose reversal medication and prepare lay responders to intervene in an overdose situation. Naloxone trainings have been shown to improve knowledge and self-efficacy related to opioid overdose management and result in successful overdose reversal (Razaghizad et al., 2021).

The expansion of naloxone initiatives, however, has been challenged by stigma toward drug use and concerns that access to naloxone may encourage risky behavior (Greene, 2018). Stigma can deter people who may benefit from naloxone from accessing this lifesaving medication. For example, people who use opioids and their caregivers worry about being judged or mistreated when requesting naloxone in pharmacy settings (Green et al., 2017), and lay responders report concerns about potential consequences if they were found to be carrying naloxone by the police (Bennett et al., 2020; Fomiatti et al., 2020). The consequences of stigma toward naloxone are likely compounded by racism among minoritized racial-ethnic groups.

In an article recently published in Stigma and Health, my colleagues and I examined the deleterious effect of stigma on naloxone training outcomes.

April is National Minority Health Month. This annual observance builds awareness about the health disparities that persist among racial and ethnic minority and American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations and encourages everyone to take action to end these inequities.

This year's theme, Be the Source for Better Health: Improving Health Outcomes Through Our Cultures, Communities, and Connections, is about understanding how the unique environments, cultures, histories, and circumstances (known as social determinants of health, or SDOH) of racial and ethnic minority and AI/AN populations impact their overall health.

Check out the toolkit of resources the U.S. Health and Human Services Office has compiled to recognize Minority Health Month!

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