Greater than 107,600 People died from drug overdoses final yr, the best annual demise toll on file, the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention mentioned Wednesday.
Overdose deaths elevated 15 p.c in 2021, up from an estimated 93,655 fatalities the yr prior, in keeping with a report from the CDC’s Nationwide Middle for Well being Statistics (NCHS), which collects knowledge on a variety of well being matters, together with drug use.
Whereas the overall variety of deaths reached file highs, the rise appeared to sluggish in comparison with the change seen from 2019 to 2020, when overdose deaths rose 30 p.c, in keeping with the report.
It is nonetheless too early to say whether or not that slowdown will maintain, mentioned Farida Ahmad, a scientist on the well being statistics middle. The company’s newest report is taken into account provisional, that means the info is incomplete and topic to alter.
Even when the rise in overdose deaths is smaller in comparison with final yr, the 2021 complete continues to be an enormous quantity, Ahmad mentioned.
The info helps illustrate one of many penalties of the pandemic, which has seen an uptick in substance abuse amid widespread unemployment and extra People reporting psychological well being points.
Overdose-related deaths had been already rising earlier than the pandemic, however there was “clearly a really sharp uptick in the course of the pandemic,” mentioned Joseph Friedman, an dependancy researcher on the College of California, Los Angeles. He printed analysis in April that discovered drug overdose deaths amongst youngsters rose sharply over the past two years.
Based on the NCHS report, fentanyl, a strong artificial opioid, was concerned in essentially the most overdose deaths in 2021: 71,238.
Methamphetamine was implicated in 32,856 overdose deaths, cocaine in 24,538 deaths, and prescription ache drugs in 13,503 deaths.
Friedman mentioned that illicitly manufactured fentanyl, particularly, is a large downside within the U.S., as it may be packaged as drugs.
This month, Ohio State College officers warned of “pretend Adderall” drugs laced with fentanyl following the demise of a scholar.
Ahmad agreed that fentanyl is a large downside, however added that different medication, like methamphetamines, are additionally concerned in numerous deaths, significantly in Western states.
The most important share enhance in overdose deaths in 2021 was in Alaska, the place deaths had been up 75.3 p.c in comparison with the earlier yr, in keeping with the report.
To fight the overdose deaths, Friedman mentioned the U.S. ought to put money into hurt discount and therapy applications for individuals with substance abuse issues.
The issue impacts some teams greater than others — Native People essentially the most, whereas the overdose demise fee for Black individuals has overtaken whites, he mentioned.
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