Black victims of heroin, opioid crisis 'whitewashed' out of picture, report finds

CHICAGO - Farrah Evans began using heroin on the West Side of Chicago 20 years ago, long before opioids became the stuff of suburban nightmares and presidential speeches.

At first it was nothing more than a party drug, one that was available on every corner in her neighborhood. But soon enough, it consumed her life.

"It was crazy," she said. "I didn't realize how heavy that monkey on my back was until I found myself out in the streets, homeless, having to hustle or do whatever I needed to do to get me some heroin."

Evans, now 40 and in recovery, embodies a side of the opioid crisis some experts believe has been overlooked by the media and policymakers - African-Americans