Synthetic opioids like fentanyl are driving overdose deaths among older Black men at alarming rates, yet few programs directly address their needs.
In Minnesota, Black men aged 55 to 74 make up just about 1 percent of the population in Hennepin and Ramsey counties but accounted for more than 6 percent of overdose deaths between 2020 and 2024. Statewide, Black residents represent 7.5 percent of the population yet more than 19 percent of overdose deaths. Even as overall overdose deaths fell last year, this group continued to face some of the highest fatality rates. In Ramsey County, their death rate was nearly 16 times the national average.
Public health discussions often focus on young people or the broader opioid crisis, leaving older Black men overlooked. A Minnesota legislative report on drug overdoses last year failed to mention older adults at all. One addiction doctor noted that opioid use disorder is often stereotyped as a “young man’s disease,” making it harder to detect in older populations.
Community advocates say social inequities—housing instability, lack of insurance, and the legacy of incarceration—have compounded the crisis. “All of those things made a hell of a cocktail,” said Ivan Nelson, an addiction counselor who co-founded African American Survivor Services. His group recently launched programs tailored to older Black adults, emphasizing harm reduction and peer support.
Without targeted interventions, advocates warn, this hidden generation will continue to face disproportionate risks. “Nobody’s looking at this hidden generation of folks that are dying in droves,” Nelson said.
See: “Overdose deaths disproportionately impact older Black men” (August 18, 2025)
