US saw 100,000 drug overdose deaths in one year amid pandemic, CDC says
The estimated number of drug overdose deaths in the US during a 12month period ending in April rose by 28.5% compared with the same period the year before, according to new provisional data released Wednesday by the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics.
There were an estimated 100,306 drug overdose deaths across the country during a 12-month period ending in April, compared with 78,056 deaths reported during the same period the year before.
The data also reveals that estimated overdose deaths caused by opioids jumped from 56,064 in the previous year to 75,673. Overdose deaths caused by synthetic opioids – primarily fentanyl – and psychostimulants including methamphetamine also increased during the 12-month period.
Before 2016, more Americans died annually from heroin overdoses than from synthetic opioids such as fentanyl. However, with fentanyl becoming increasingly mixed into other illegal drugs such as heroin and cocaine, often without the user’s knowledge, the number of fatal overdoses from synthetic opioids has increased dramatically.
In the past year, fentanyl was involved in more than 60% of the overdose deaths.
Fentanyl is 50 times stronger than morphine and heroin, and is often sold illegally for its heroin-like effects, including euphoria. According to the CDC, it also takes very little to produce a high with fentanyl, thus making it a much cheaper option for drug dealers and users.
Cocaine deaths, in addition to deaths as a result of natural and semisynthetic opioids such as prescription pain medication, also increased throughout the 12-month period.
As fatal overdoses soar, communities of color in particular have witnessed a significant increase in drug overdose deaths. In a 2019 report from the Minnesota department of health, African Americans were two times more likely to die of drug overdoses than white people, while Native Americans were seven times more likely to die of drug overdoses than white people. Overall, opioids are the leading cause of fatal overdoses among whites, African Americans and Native Americans.
With the country facing an unprecedented rise in opioid overdoses, many harm reduction groups are witnessing severe shortages in naloxone, a typically affordable and simple medication that reverses the effects of overdoses.
Harm reduction groups previously bought naloxone from Pfizer to create kits that cost about $2.50 each. Now they have to pay $37 for a different generic medication or $75 for Narcan.
“To put it in stark terms, you could be saving one life or you could be saving 10 lives for the same price,” said Leo Beletsky, a professor of law and health sciences at Northeastern University.
“This is a symptom of broader dysfunction in the US pharmaceutical industry, where public health concerns are secondary to financial concerns,” he added.
In the US, SAMHSA’s National Helpline is at 800-662-4357. In the UK, Action on Addiction is available on 0300 330 0659. In Australia, the National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline is at 1800 250 015 and the Opioid Treatment Line is at 1800 642 428; families and friends can seek help at Family Drug Support Australia at 1300 368 186.