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HealthUnited States of America

US overdose deaths top 100,000 in a year

November 17, 2021

Deaths resulting from drug overdoses in the US are higher than those from guns and car crashes. Experts believe that an increased use of fentanyl is to blame for the "tragic milestone."

https://p.dw.com/p/437fC
Syringes of the opioid painkiller fentanyl in an inpatient pharmacy in US
Fentanyl is now the biggest overdose killer in the US as opposed to heroinImage: picture alliance/AP Photo/R. Bowmer

The United States recorded 100,306 deaths from drug overdoses in one year, the country's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Wednesday.

The CDC recorded the 28.5% increase from May 2020 to April 2021, citing the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on people with substance abuse and a more dangerous drug supply as the reasons for the demise.

There were 93,000 overdose deaths in 2020, suggesting a gradual rise.

Why have overdoses become so common?

The latest CDC figures have now made drug overdoses one of the top 10 killers in the US, surpassing car crashes, guns, flu and pneumonia.

Experts blame the rise on an abundance of drugs on the US market such as deadly fentanyl, an opioid that five years ago overtook heroin as the most likely overdose killer.

Tablets suspected to be fentanyl are placed on a graph to measure their size at the Drug Enforcement Administration Northeast Regional Laboratory
The pandemic has set back the fight against drugs like fentanyl, seen here in a DEA labImage: Getty Images/AFP/D. Emmert

Dealers often mix fentanyl with  methamphetamine, further increasing casualties.

Drug cartels are using Chinese chemicals to mass produce fentanyl and meth across the US, said Anne Milgram, administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

The DEA seized 12,000 pounds (5,500 kilograms) of fentanyl so far this year, Milgram said.

The coronavirus pandemic has worsened the situation by leaving many users isolated and unable to find treatment for their addictions, officials said.

'A tragic milestone'

US President Joe Biden called the figures "a tragic milestone" in a statement, with officials set to ask Congress for billions of dollars to tackle drug abuse in the country.

"This is unacceptable and it requires an unprecedented response," said Dr. Rahul Gupta, director of the US National Drug Control Policy.

UN sounds the alarm over global drug use: Angela Me (UNODC) speaks to DW

Columbia University drug abuse expert Katherine Keyes called the "devastating" near-30% rise "a magnitude of overdose deaths we haven't seen in this country."

Dr. Daniel Ciccarone, of the University of California in San Francisco, said that the year "2021 is going to be terrible," with experts predicting that the figure will rise even further.

The US states of Vermont, West Virginia and Kentucky saw the largest overdose increases.

jc/fb (AP, Reuters)