This year marks the worst year for overdose deaths in America.
There have been an estimated 100,000 deaths in all, more than the nation has ever seen.
The number of deaths per year due to opiates has been rising, but since the pandemic began it just 30% last year alone.
Experts see two major reasons for the spike in deaths. First, the use of fentanyl has been showing up more and more in illegal drugs. Second, the pandemic isolated many people suffering from opiate misuse, stopping them from getting treatment or support.
Overdosing has passed car accidents, guns, the flu, and pneumonia as leading causes of death in the United States.
The CDC believes there were 100,300 deaths due to overdose between May of 2020 and April of 2021. This is only an estimation for now.
In 2020 there were around 93,000 overdose deaths which was the highest in history until this year.
Fentanyl is now the lead drug causing overdose deaths, beating out heroin.
Delaware, New Hampshire, New Jersey and South Dakota were the only states to not see an increase in deaths. Largest increase in deaths were in Vermont, West Virginia, and Kentucky.
Related: Medications for medical assisted treatment of addiction become harder to get
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to [email protected].