9/ We spoke with loved ones of Black men in this age group who died of overdose. Gaining their trust was one of the hardest things I’ve had to do as a journalist, and speaks to the mistreatment of these communities by some in the media. I'm grateful they opened up to me and I hope they find peace.

6/ Experts contrasted the racist drug war with the sympathetic approach that policymakers took when white people were dying of opioid overdose in large numbers. NYU's Alex Bennett described “a pendulum” that swings between punishment and treatment based on how "society frames people who use drugs."