US Drug Overdose Deaths Hit Record High in 2021
Summary from the AllSides News Team
U.S. drug overdose deaths hit a record high of 107,622 in 2021, according to provisional data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Wednesday.
In 2020, the CDC estimated 91,799 American deaths due to drug overdose. Overdose deaths in the U.S. were up 15% in 2021 from the year before, and up 50% from 2019. About two-thirds of the 2021 deaths involved synthetic drugs such as fentanyl; deaths involving fentanyl increased from 70,029 in 2020 to 80,816 in 2021.
Drug overdose deaths have been on the rise in the U.S. for several years, but synthetic drugs that are easier to manufacture and more potent than other alternatives became more prevalent during the COVID-19 pandemic.
News sources across the spectrum covered the news similarly, with many highlighting the COVID-19 pandemic and reduced treatment access amid social distancing and lockdowns as key factors. Some coverage from right-rated sources has highlighted concerns about fentanyl and other drugs being smuggled into the U.S. across the southern border.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Left
U.S. surpassed 100,000 overdose deaths in 2021
More than 100,000 people died from drug overdoses in the U.S. in 2021, more than in any other year on record, according to provisional data released by the National Center for Health Statistics Wednesday.
Why it matters: The grim milestone, a 15% increase from overdose deaths in 2020, occurred during the coronavirus pandemic, which also killed over 415,000 in the country that year and almost 1 million in total so far.
The data presented is incomplete, as many deaths require more investigating to confirm a cause, though estimates rarely largely differ from the...
From the Right
US drug overdoses topped 100k in 2021, reaching all-time high: CDC
Over 100,000 Americans died from drug overdoses in 2021, reaching an all-time high.
The U.S. recorded an estimated 107,622 drug overdose deaths last year, according to provisional data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wednesday. The number is a large jump from the year prior, when the CDC estimated that 91,799 Americans died due to drug overdose.
Healthcare workers wheel the body of deceased person from the Wyckoff Heights Medical Center during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease. (REUTERS/Brendan Mcdermid)
Drug overdose deaths have risen sharply in the U.S. since the start...
From the Left
In 2021, US drug overdose deaths hit highest level on record, CDC data shows 
Drug overdoses in the United States were deadlier than ever in 2021, according to provisional data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Nearly 108,000 people died of drug overdoses in 2021, and about two-thirds of those deaths involved fentanyl or another synthetic opioid.
Overdose deaths have been on the rise for years in the US, but surged amid the Covid-19 pandemic: Annual deaths were nearly 50% higher in 2021 than in 2019, CDC data shows.
The spike in overdose deaths in the second year of the pandemic wasn't as...
AllSides Picks
April 19th, 2024
April 19th, 2024
More News about Healthcare from the Left, Center and Right
From the Left
From the Center
From the Right
