Drug overdoses resulted in 70,237 deaths during 2017 nationwide, according to data released from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
– 47,600 (67.8%) involved opioids (14.9 per 100,000 population), representing a 12.0% rate increase from 2016.
– Synthetic opioids were involved in 59.8% of all opioid-involved overdose deaths; the rate increased by 45.2% from 2016 to 2017.
– From 2013 through 2017, overdose death rates increased significantly in 35 states and DC; Texas increased from 1,375 (2016) to 1,458 (2017).
– From 2016 to 2017, death rates involving cocaine and psychostimulants increased 34.4% (from 3.2 to 4.3 per 100,000) and 33.3% (from 2.4 to 3.2 per 100,000), respectively, likely contributing to increases in drug overdose deaths; however, rates remained stable for deaths involving prescription opioids (5.2 per 100,000) (Table 1) and heroin (4.9) (Table 2).
– Overdoses related to females increased from 13,751 (2016) to 15,263 (2017). Overdose deaths for males 15 to 24 decreased (2,986 to 2,885) while overdose deaths to females 15 to 24 increased (1,041 in 2016 to 1,209 in 2017).
