According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 107,000 Americans died of drug overdoses last year, establishing yet another heartbreaking death record in the nation’s increasing overdose crisis.
The estimated total for 2021 is one overdose death every 5 minutes in the United States. It was a 15% rise over the previous high, set the previous year. The CDC examines death certificates before estimating the number of deaths due to delayed or incomplete reporting.
The latest figures, according to Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, are “truly staggering.”
The White House released a statement calling the rising numbers of overdose deaths “unacceptable” and supporting the administration’s recently unveiled national drug control strategy. It calls for measures like connecting more people to treatment, disrupting drug trafficking and expanding access to the overdose-reversing medication naloxone.
Overdose deaths in the United States have risen most years for more than two decades. Overdoses involving opioid painkillers started the trend in the 1990s. It was followed by waves of deaths caused by other opioids including heroin and, most recently, illicit fentanyl.
Overdoses involving fentanyl and other synthetic opioids reached 71,000 last year, up 23% from the previous year. There also was a 23% increase in deaths involving cocaine. Also, a 34% increase in deaths related to meth and other stimulants.
Multiple drugs lead to overdose deaths
“The net effect is that we have many more people, including those who use drugs occasionally and even adolescents, exposed to these potent substances that can cause someone to overdose even with a relatively small exposure,” Volkow said in a statement.
Experts say the COVID-19 pandemic has aggravated the problem by isolating them with drug addictions. It, therefore, makes treatment harder to get.
The prevalence of overdose deaths varies by region. In 2021, Alaska saw the largest jump, with a 75 percent increase. Overdose deaths in Hawaii decreased by 2%.
What can be done?
If you are someone who is suffering from issues similar to this, then reach out to your friends and family. If you know someone who is suffering from drug abuse, then reach out to them. Be the guiding light in their life and help them realize the consequences of it. Life is precious. SAY NO TO DRUGS!