More than 107,000 Americans died of drug overdoses last year, setting another tragic record in the nation’s escalating overdose epidemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated Wednesday.
The provisional 2021 total translates to roughly one U.S. overdose death every 5 minutes. It marked a 15% increase from the previous record, set the year before. The CDC reviews death certificates and then makes an estimate to account for delayed and incomplete reporting.
Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, called the latest numbers “truly staggering.”
The White House issued a statement calling the accelerating pace of overdose deaths “unacceptable” and promoting its recently announced national drug control strategy. It calls for measures like connecting more people to treatment, disrupting drug trafficking and expanding access to the overdose-reversing medication naloxone.
U.S. overdose deaths have risen most years for more than two decades. The increase began in the 1990s with overdoses involving opioid painkillers, followed by waves of deaths led by other opioids like heroin and — most recently — illicit fentanyl.
Last year, overdoses involving fentanyl and other synthetic opioids surpassed 71,000, up 23% from the year before. There also was a 23% increase in deaths involving cocaine and a 34% increase in deaths involving meth and other stimulants.
Overdose deaths are often attributed to more than one drug. Some people take multiple drugs and inexpensive fentanyl has been increasingly cut into other drugs, often without the buyers’ knowledge, officials say.
“The net effect is that we have many more people, including those who use drugs occasionally and even adolescents, exposed to these potent substances that can cause someone to overdose even with a relatively small exposure,” Volkow said in a statement.
Experts say the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the problem as lockdowns and other restrictions isolated those with drug addictions and made treatment harder to get.
Overdose death trends are geographically uneven. Alaska saw a 75% increase in 2021 — the largest jump of any state. In Hawaii, overdose deaths fell by 2%.
(AP)
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4 Responses
Experts say the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the problem as lockdowns and other restrictions isolated those with drug addictions and made treatment harder to get.
But what would the NYS Governor say?
If lockdowns could maybe help save one live from Covid-19 it is worth it.
What he didn’t say is that, it killed hundreds of others??????????????????????????????????????????????????????
Experts say the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the problem as lockdowns and other restrictions isolated those with drug addictions and made treatment harder to get.
But what would the NYS Governor say?
If lockdowns could maybe help save one live from Covid-19 it is worth it.
What he didn’t say is that, it killed hundreds of others??????????????????????????????????????????????????????
WE MUST DEMAND ANSWERS FROM POLITICIANS THAT MADE IT ILLEGAL TO EVEN BREATH
I was told the Earth can sustain about 1.5 billion people.
“Realy confused” – I hear your pain although I want to point out that even without lockdowns 90% of addicts don’t seek treatment. Addicts (even those with access to the best and most expensive treatments) die from their illness and deserve our empathy and support, don’t use them to push your own agenda.
When Covid 19 hit, the lockdown was the responsible response. The healthcare system just wasn’t prepared. When the vaccine became available, encouraging it was the responsible response. Yes there are negative consequences to lockdowns and vaccines. People suffered from the lockdown as some did from the vaccine. Unfortunately a pandemic, as other disasters, can not be controlled without sacrifices. Its about trying to minimize the damage.
Lets put the blame where it belongs instead of attacking those trying to find the best possible solutions even if they are not perfect.