News Report | December 3, 2021
Annual U.S. Drug Overdose Deaths Reached Record High Of 100,000+
Drug overdose deaths reached a record high, 100,306, as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) spread in the United States between April 2020 and April 2021. The number of drug overdose deaths during that period was 28.5% above the 78,056 deaths in the same period for 2019 to 2020. Opioid overdose deaths increased by 35% to reach 75,673 in the 12-month period ending in April 2021, up from 56,064 the year before.
Overdose deaths from synthetic opioids (primarily fentanyl) and psychostimulants such as methamphetamine also increased in the 12-month period ending in April 2021 . . .