United States surpasses 100,000 drug overdose deaths in one year for the first time

Deaths from drug overdoses in USA they were higher than 100,000 in the twelve-month period that ended last April, which constitutes an unprecedented figure, according to official data published this Wednesday.

According to the provisional data of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there were an estimated 100,306 overdose deaths nationwide during those 12 months, compared to 78,056 reported during the same period the previous year, an increase of 28.5%.

Synthetic opiates, especially fentanyl, continued to be the main reason for deaths due to overdoses, since they caused almost two thirds (64%) of all these deaths, which means an increase of 49% compared to the previous year.

The CDC indicates that fentanyl is 50 times stronger than morphine and heroin, and is often sold illegally for having effects similar to those of heroin.

These figures show that overdose deaths from methamphetamine and other psychostimulants also grew significantly, up 48% in the year ending April 2021 compared to the previous year.

Deaths from cocaine and prescription painkillers also rose from the previous year, but not as drastically.

After learning these data, the US President, Joe Biden, pledged in a statement to “do everything in our power to tackle addictions and end the drug overdose epidemic.”

“We are strengthening prevention, promoting harm reduction, expanding treatment and supporting people in recovery, as well as reducing the supply of harmful substances in our communities. And we won’t stop, ”Biden said.

In that note, the president stressed that his Administration has allocated 4 billion dollars through the American Rescue Plan – the 1.9 billion stimulus package approved by Congress last March – to strengthen and expand services for the disorder. for substance use and mental health.

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