The CDC reported 70,980 projected overdose deaths in 2019, more than the previous record of 70,699 deaths set in 2017, and experts fear the numbers could be even worse next year, exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic.
More than 35 states saw overdose deaths increase, while 13 recorded declines. South Dakota reported the highest peak at 54%, followed by North Dakota at 31% and Alaska at 27%.
Fentanyl and other synthetic opioids are involved in more than half of projected deaths with cocaine and methamphetamine-related deaths, also on the rise.
Opioid prescription has decreased since the CDC issued the opioid prescription guidelines in early 2016, resulting in doctors prescribing less opioids and insurers providing less coverage for opioids. Many experts have pointed to overprescribing pain relievers as the root of the opioid crisis in the United States, but they say it later turned into a heroin crisis and a fentanyl crisis.
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