CDC: Drug overdose deaths in the U.S. hit record high in 2021
Financial Associated Press, May 12 (Editor Niu Zhanlin) According to an interim data report released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Wednesday (May 11) local time, the number of people who died of drug overdose in the United States in 2021 reached the highest level ever recorded.
Nearly 108,000 people in the U.S. will die from drug overdoses in 2021, with about two-thirds of those deaths involving fentanyl or other synthetic opioids, the report shows. That’s roughly the equivalent of an American dying from a drug overdose every 5 minutes.
Dr. Volkov, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), called the latest reported data “really alarming.” “It’s also a terrifying trend, and the number of people dying from drug overdose is increasing at an unprecedented rate.”
The White House also issued a statement calling the accelerating increase in drug overdose deaths “unacceptable” and promoting the recently announced National Drug Control Strategy. The White House has called for measures such as putting more people in treatment and blocking access to certain drugs.
While overdose deaths in the U.S. have been rising for years, the number of overdose deaths in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic is nearly 50% higher than in 2019, according to the CDC.
Medical experts say fentanyl and other synthetic opioids began to penetrate the drug market several years ago, and the new crown epidemic may have exacerbated the use of such drugs, which should be brought to the attention of the medical system.
In addition, trends in drug overdose fatalities are geographically uneven. Alaska increased by 75% in 2021, the largest increase of any state. In Hawaii, drug overdose deaths fell 2 percent.