According to data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wednesday, the U.S. set a new record for drug overdose deaths, with the synthetic opiate Fentanyl accounting for nearly two-thirds of the deaths.
A man is holding a piece of foil containing a drug while on a street in San Francisco. Jessica Christian/San Francisco Chronicle
The images were provided by the Hearst Newspapers.
According to the CDC, over 100,000 people are believed to have died of a drug overdose during the year ending in April of 2021.
This would be the first time that the US has ever recorded more than 100,000 drug-related deaths in a year.
In the year of April 2020, Vermont led the way with a 70% increase in deaths, followed by West Virginia and Kentucky.
Over the course of a year, 64,178 deaths were caused by the extremely potent, lab-made opioid fentanyl.
The number of drug overdose deaths has doubled from the previous year. Fentanyl overdose deaths in the U.S. have increased since the beginning of the year.
The key background.
Health experts say increased stress and grief are major factors leading to drug abuse, as studies show a troubling rise in drug use and overdoses. Drug use has gone up across the nation, but is hitting some regions harder than others. New Jersey, Delaware, New Hampshire and South Dakota had a decline in deaths.
There is a structure called the Tangent.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed hopes to open a center next year where people can use drugs while in the presence of medical professionals in the hopes of reducing overdose deaths. Such a site is not legal under federal law.
100,000 Americans died of drug overdoses in a year.
The Rise of Risky Behavior under a Covid Lockdown: How Americans Increased Their Risky Behavior.
San Francisco wants to open a supervised drug use site.
