To be sure, there are other reasons why drugstores might not carry narcotic drugs. And there is the hassle of dealing with morphine-based drugs. Under-treatment of severe pain is a major medical problem in this country. It's not just minorities who are being denied appropriate treatment for severe pain. Still, the findings of the New York pharmacy study echo other studies that show huge disparities between whites and minorities in health status and access to care.
Blacks have shorter life expectancies than whites.
They have a higher death rate from cancer. They are less likely than whites to get potentially curative treatment for early-stage lung, colon and breast cancer. When they suffer kidney failure, they are not as apt to be referred for transplants. Racism is a problem. If you make a decision not to prescribe a drug because people in this group are more likely to misuse drugs, that's prejudice.