Tennessee suffered the worst year for drug overdoses ever in 2020
As the coronavirus pandemic dominated government priorities and the public consciousness, Tennessee quietly recorded more than 3,000 fatal drug overdoses in 2020 – the deadliest year ever.
Fatal overdoses, most of which involved fentanyl or similar synthetic opioids, rose more than 44% in 2020, according to new data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Deaths spiked nationwide but grew more in Tennessee than in 43 other states.
Only two states, South Dakota and New Hampshire, reported a decline in drug deaths.
For those engrossed by the ebb and flow of the coronavirus, surging drug deaths are a stark reminder of another public health crisis that existed long before the pandemic and probably will persist after it fades. The opioid crisis has not killed as many as quickly as the virus, but the nation’s struggle with drug addiction can’t be ended by a jab or two in the arm either.
“There is no vaccine for this,” said Trevor Henderson, director of Nashville’s overdose response program, which witnesses the worst of Tennessee’s ongoing drug crisis. “I wish there was an easy answer . ... But, no, it’s going to be a five- to 10-year project to really start making a dent in this crisis.”
Tennessee reported 3,091 confirmed fatal drug overdoses in 2020, and 37 remain unconfirmed while under investigation, according to the CDC’S latest overdose data, made public last week. The 2020 death total is more than double the fatal overdoses counted five years prior in 2015. The death toll has risen every year since then.
Brett Kelman is the health care reporter for The Tennessean. He can be reached at 615-259-8287 or at brett.kelman@tennessean.com. Follow him on Twitter at @brettkelman.