The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics recently released new data on overdose death rates in 2019. The provisional data indicates that overdose deaths increased by 4.8% from 2018 to 2019, with approximately 72,000 deaths in 2019. As described in an article from The New York Times, the data is especially concerning as 2018 saw overdose deaths decline for the first time in 25 years. The CDC data also shows that deaths related to prescription opioids and heroin have remained stable and the recent increases in deaths may be attributable to synthetic opioids such as fentanyl and other illicit drugs like amphetamines.
- Ann Tucker