The U.S. drug epidemic has reached new heights in 2022, according to official data, and the escalating crisis shows no signs of abating.
A CDC report found that there were a record 107,941 overdose deaths that year, which is the most recent data available – the equivalent of 295 deaths per day and an increase of one percent compared to the previous year.
Fentanyl has been the main force behind the surge – which is deadly even in small doses – with the illicit drug accounting for nearly 70 percent of deaths.
Provisional figures for 2023 suggest the epidemic continues to grow, with 110,640 deaths estimated for the 12 months to October this year. Oregon – which has experimented with drug decriminalization – is currently experiencing the largest increase in deaths.
The chart above shows how drug overdose deaths have increased since 2002 when the report began.
The photo above shows a person on the streets of San Francisco, which has seen an increase in drug overdoses.
The CDC report, released today, showed there were 32.6 overdose deaths per 100,000 people in 2022, a slight increase from 32.4 the previous year.
It was also more than three times higher than the 8.2 recorded in 2022, when the records began.
Deaths from synthetic opioids – like fentanyl – increased 4.1 percent during the period, from 70,000 to 73,000, or nearly 70 percent of total overdose deaths.
Broken down by age, researchers also recorded an increase of up to 6% in overdose deaths among those over 35, while they declined in younger age groups.
The increase was largest among people aged 55 to 64, where it increased from 45.3 to 48.1 overdose deaths per 100,000 people.
For comparison, among people aged 25 to 34, overdose deaths decreased by almost five percent over the same period, to 50.6.
The increase in deaths is due to fentanyl, which causes a more intense effect but is deadly even at low doses.
The above shows the drug overdose death rate from 2021 to 2022 by age group.
The above shows the drug overdose death rate from 2021 to 2022 by ethnic group.
And this chart shows preliminary drug overdose numbers by year
Dr Katherine Keyes, an epidemiologist at Columbia University in New York, said: “These numbers remain extraordinarily high.
“We should not suggest that the crisis is over.”
The White House, however, doubled down on its numbers, calling preliminary data for 2022 a slowdown and saying thousands of lives had been saved.
Dr. Rahul Gupta, then head of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, said at the time: “We have expanded treatment to millions of Americans, we are increasing access to naloxone to reverse overdoses and we attack illegal drugs. fentanyl supply chain at every choke point.
“As a result, around 19,000 people are still alive and can be present at the table, on birthdays and at the most important moments of life.”
The CDC report also released data on overdose deaths by ethnic group, showing that they had increased in all non-white groups.
The largest increase was among American Indians and Alaska Natives, where overdose deaths increased 15 percent, from 56.6 to 65.2 overdose deaths per 100,000 population.
For comparison, among white adults, they fell 3%, from 36.8 to 35.6.
Official CDC figures lag behind by about two years because of the time it takes to record deaths.
The CDC noted in its report that while there was an increase between 2021 and 2022, the overall change was “not significant.”
“In contrast, rates have increased significantly in most previous years,” they write.
“From 2019 to 2020, the drug overdose death rate increased by 31%, representing the largest annual increase during the period 2002 to 2022.”