Deficits in episodic memory and executive functions in relation to CB1 receptor availability in Parkinson's disease.

In the United States, firearm violence is a persistent, pervasive public health concern. In 2022 alone, 48,204 deaths were caused by firearms (.; ; ; ; ). Notably, Black youth and young adults are disproportionately affected by firearm-related injury and death compared to their peers (; ; ). Individuals living in poverty are particularly susceptible to firearm violence, as firearm events are concentrated in urban, economically disadvantaged areas, and increased income inequality is strongly associated with higher rates of firearm-related violence (; ; ; ). These structural conditions often intersect with racial inequities, compounding mortality risk for Black communities (Gong, 2025; ). Exploring structural solutions to the significant health disparities experienced by Black youth imperative. In extant literature, there are mixed findings about the potential of increased state minimum wage as a primary prevention strategy to reduce violence. One study found that during income shocks, states with a higher minimum wage experienced a reduction in overall crime rates and more substantial effects among young workers (). Another study found consistent protective associations between increased minimum wage and firearm deaths by age, race, and gender (). However, the impact of minimum wage on youth violence remains debated with some literature suggesting that youth violence actually increases when the minimum wage increases because of lost youth employment opportunities (), and one study found no preventive effect among Black youth (). Given mixed results to date, our goal was to conduct a rigorous quasiexperiment to examine the effects of minimum wage specifically on firearm deaths among Black youth. We test the prevention hypothesis that increases to minimum wage will reduce firearm deaths among Black youth and young adults. Secondly, we explore potential differential prevention effects by age. We estimated the association of state minimum wage and annual firearm mortalities among Black youth and young adults (aged 10–34 years), both overall and by age, using a series of two-way fixed effects (TWFE) models.