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Drug overdose deaths in US hit record high: Report

Sunday, 20 December 2015 2:27 PM [ Last Update: Sunday, 20 December 2015 2:28 PM ]

A man is viewed on the ground in an area which has witnessed an explosion in the use of K2 or synthetic cannabis in New York City, September 16, 2015. (AFP photo)

Drug overdose deaths increased sharply across the United States to the highest level since at least 1970, according to a new government report.

Overdose deaths in 2014 surged in 14 states and surpassed 47,000 across the country, up 7 percent from the previous year, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Friday.

The rising deaths were largely due to disturbing increases in the abuse of prescription painkillers and heroin use, the report said.

The report warned of a surging opioid "epidemic" that is ripping American families and communities apart.

"The increasing number of deaths from opioid overdose is alarming," said CDC Director Tom Frieden.

To curb these trends and save lives, we must help prevent addiction and provide support and treatment to those who suffer from opioid use disorders,” Frieden said.

Drug overdoses have killed almost half a million people in the United States from 2000 to 2014, and the rate of opioid overdoses has tripled since 2000.

Overdose deaths are up in both men and women, in whites and blacks, and in adults of nearly all ages, said the report.

The states of West Virginia, New Mexico, New Hampshire, Kentucky and Ohio had the highest percentage in overdose death. In West Virginia, the overdose rate was 35.5 per 100,000.

In sheer numbers, California — the most populous state — had the most overdose deaths last year, with more than 4,500. Ohio was second, with more than 2,700.

According to recent findings by researchers, middle-aged white people in the United States have suffered a startling rise in death rates since 1999, most likely because of problems with legal and illegal drugs, alcohol and suicide.

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