The colorblind economic analysis of the opioid epidemic presented in Forbes ignores the historical impacts of the War on Drugs and therefore, as NPR’s Sam Sanders would say, is incomplete and most likely deceptive. This decades-old “war” further politicized America’s fears of Blackness and bolstered the economic power of the prison and military systems. With more white people experiencing overdose, compassion—rather than fear or hatred—is fueling more decisions. Society has a sudden “readiness” to humanize addiction now that the sustainability of white communities is at stake. Where was this willingness to see one’s humanity when the face of addiction was Black during the crack epidemic? Where is it now for Black users?