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Opioid Crisis: Overdose Deaths

Opioid Epidemic in the United States

U.S. Drug Overdose Deaths: By Cause

Drugs, in general, are a serious problem in the country, but it is opioids that are at the heart problem. Opioid overdose deaths vastly outnumber the deaths from cocaine and meth.

U.S. Drug Overdose Deaths: By Cause

Image source: BuzzFeed News via CDC

Three Waves of Opioid Overdose Deaths

According to the CDC, there have been 3 waves of opioid overdose deaths:

  1. The first wave began with increased prescribing of opioids in the 1990s.
  2. The second wave began in 2010, with rapid increases in overdose deaths involving heroin.
  3. The third wave began in 2013, with significant increases in overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids – particularly those involving illicitly-manufactured fentanyl.

Overdose Death Graphics

Image source: CDC

Overdose Death Rates Involving Opioids

Image source: CDC

nearly 47,000 Americans died from an opioid overdose in 2018

Image source: CDC

Almost 70 percent of the 67,000 drug overdose deaths in 2018 involved an opioid

Image source: CDC

Opioid overdose deaths were six times higher in 2018 than in 1999

Image source: CDC

Overdose Death Graphics: Prescription Opioids

41 people die every day from overdoses involving prescription opioids

Image source: CDC

Nearly 15,000 deaths in 2018 involved prescription opioids

Image source: CDC

Nearly one-third of all opioid overdose deaths involve a prescription opioid

Image source: CDC

More than 232,000 Americans have died to overdoses involving prescription opioids from 1999 to 2018

Image source: CDC

Prescription opioid-involved overdose deaths were more than four times higher in 2018 than in 1999

Image source: CDC

Overdose Death Graphics: Illicit Opioids

85 people die every day from overdoses involving synthetic opioids

Image source: CDC

2/3 of all opioid overdose deaths involve synthetic opioids

Image source: CDC

More than 124,000 Americans died from overdoses related to synthetic opioids from 1999-2018

Image source: CDC

Overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids were more than 10 times higher in 2018 than in 2013

Image source: CDC

41 people die every day form overdoses involving heroin

Image source: CDC

More than 115,000 Americans died from overdoses related to heroin from 1999 to 2018

Image source: CDC

There were more than seven times the number of heroin-related overdose deaths in 2018 as there were in 1999

Image source: CDC

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