US records a record 106,000 drug overdose deaths from November 2020 to 2021

The number of Americans dying from drug overdoses has climbed to yet another harrowing record, according to data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Wednesday.

An estimated 106,854 Americans died of a drug overdose from November 2020 to 2021, according to the CDC. It is the sixth consecutive monthly report that has set at all-time record, and the eighth straight with over 100,000 deaths reported.

Opioids, and specifically synthetic versions of the drug like fentanyl, are most at fault. Just over 80,000 deaths are believed to have been caused by opioids, which synthetic opioids making up around 70,000 of them.

America’s drug problem has spiraled out of control in recent years, and the emergence of fentanyl has turned a crisis into a full blown disaster. A sobering study from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), that was published this week also finds that the drugs are causing a spike in deaths among America’s youth.

A record 106,854 American died of a drug overdose from November 2020 to 2021, a new record for the sixth consecutive month

Opioids (black) make up nearly 80% of drug overdose deaths in the U.S., and synthetic opioids like fentanyl (brown) make up a large portion of overall opioid deaths

Opioids (black) make up nearly 80% of drug overdose deaths in the U.S., and synthetic opioids like fentanyl (brown) make up a large portion of overall opioid deaths

The 106,000 mark is a slight increase from the 105,000 deaths recorded from October 2020 to 2021 in a report published last month. It is also a 16 percent increase year-to-year.

The overdose crisis, which has been most prominently associated with the opioid epidemic, emerged as a result of a variety of factors over the past two decades.  

Relationships between doctors and pharmaceutical companies were blamed for a surge in prescriptions of the highly addictive painkilling drugs, leading to many becoming dependent, and turning to the black market to purchase illicit versions.

Then, fentanyl began to emerge in the early 2010s. The synthetic opioid is primarily produced in Mexico, and officials fear that it is being trafficked in droves across the southern border.

Fentanyl, a drug first made to help treat cancer patients, is cheap to produce and highly potent, making it a favorite for illicit drug dealers who could use small amounts of it in drugs to mass produce them cheaply.

Even small amounts of fentanyl can cause an overdose, though, and with dealers not often adhering to ethical standards of any sort, the U.S. started to suffer a surge of deaths from the previously-unknown drug in the mid-2010s. 

Many have also blamed pharmacies for not having the proper guardrails in place to prevent people who planned to either abuse or sell the drugs from getting their hands on them.  

People who become addicted to opioids, some of which eventually die of an overdose, often first get addicted by using the drug legally as a pain-killer, and building a dependency.  

Florida has turned its attention towards these pharmacies, filing lawsuits against CVS and Walgreens, two of the countries largest pharmacy chains. The former paid out a settles of nearly a half-billion dollars, with the Walgreens suit having reached the courts this week. 

‘Walgreens was the last line of defense in preventing improper distribution of opioids,’ Jim Webster, who is serving as the state’s lawyer, said during his opening argument.

‘It was the entity that actually put the opioids in the hands of people addicted to opioids and the hands of criminals.’

Teen deaths from overdosing on fentanyl (grey line)  have tripled since the Covid pandemic began (dotted line between 2019 and 2020). Scientists say this may be linked to the synthetic opioid being mixed with other drugs such as cocaine and heroin

Teen deaths from overdosing on fentanyl (grey line)  have tripled since the Covid pandemic began (dotted line between 2019 and 2020). Scientists say this may be linked to the synthetic opioid being mixed with other drugs such as cocaine and heroin

The Appalachian region has been hardest hit by the surge in drug overdose deaths in recent years. West Virginia is the far-and-away leader in mortality, with 84.9 out of every 100,000 residents dying of a drug overdose over the 12 month span.

Nearby Tennessee (56.4 deaths per 100,000 residents), Pennsylvania (56.4) and Kentucky (53.6) also rounding out the top four.

Nebraska (11.4), South Dakota (11.5), Alabama (13.8) and Iowa (13.9) are suffering the smallest share of drug overdose deaths for their population.

Year-over-year, Alaska suffered the largest increase in deaths, jumping a staggering 80 percent to nearly 700 deaths.

Deaths caused by drug overdoses rose by 20 percent or more in 22 U.S. states. Only three states recorded a fall in in opioid deaths, New Hampshire (one percent drop), Hawaii (five percent) and Wyoming (11 percent).

A study published Tuesday from researchers at UCLA found that much of the reported increases in drug overdose deaths are happening among the youth population, with fentanyl killing nearly 1,000 U.S. teens last year.

Black Americans (yellow) surpassed White Americans (gray) in opioid deaths per 100,000 residents for the first time since 2001 in 2020, as the racial group bore the brunt of a record opioid surge

Black Americans (yellow) surpassed White Americans (gray) in opioid deaths per 100,000 residents for the first time since 2001 in 2020, as the racial group bore the brunt of a record opioid surge

Black Americans (yellow) suffered a 49% increase in drug overdose deaths from 2019 to 2020, the highest of any group. Every single racial group suffered an increased of 25% or more (dotted line marks start of COVID-19 pandemic)

Black Americans (yellow) suffered a 49% increase in drug overdose deaths from 2019 to 2020, the highest of any group. Every single racial group suffered an increased of 25% or more (dotted line marks start of COVID-19 pandemic)

Researchers found that 884 teens died of a fentanyl overdose in 2021, up from 680 in 2020, and 253 in 2019 – a more than three-fold increase over the course of only two years. 

The highly potent synthetic opioid, for which only a dose of two milligrams is enough to cause an overdose in some adults, is most responsible for America’s recent surge of opioid deaths. 

An estimated 80,242 deaths were caused by the opioids over the 12-month period, with 70,420being attributed to synthetics like fentanyl. Semi-synthetic opioids were responsible for 13,643.

The next leading cases were psychostimulants, causing 32,476 deaths, followed by 23,908 deaths from cocaine and just under 10,000 deaths caused by heroin.

Black Americans suffered the brunt of these recent drug overdoses, a study published by UCLA researchers last month, found.

The research team found that Black Americans suffered a 49 percent increase in deaths per 100,000 residents between 2019 and 2020, up to 36.8 from 24.7.

While drug overdoses have long been associated with white Americans, and still are devastating to that group, black Americans are now the race in America suffering the most deaths per capita after surpassing white people at the start of the pandemic.

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