Drug overdoses killed equivalent of airliner full of Americans every DAY last ... trends now
Drug overdoses killed the equivalent of a large plane full of Americans every other day last year, figures show.
Early data showed that more than 105,000 died, but due to reporting delays, officials expect the final count to be more than 109,000, which would be a record high.
The figures represent a plateau from the previous year when 107,000 overdose deaths were recorded, which the White House heralded as a sign that the country was 'beating' the crisis.
But health scientists sounded a more skeptical note, with one warning that this could be just a 'wobble' before fentanyl and other drugs like xylazine trigger overdose deaths to rise again.
The above graph shows the number of confirmed (black line) and predicted (dotted line) overdose deaths from drugs in the United States by year. Data for 2022 is still provisional, because of the time it takes for a death to be cataloged and reported by states
This map shows how deaths from drug overdoses have shifted by state over the latest year that data is available. Most are reporting a rise.
America has been grappling with an escalating overdose crisis since the 2010s when fentanyl was first added to the illicit drug supply.
It is up to 50 times more powerful than heroin and can help drug users achieve a more intense high.
But the drug — which can also be used to knock out horses — is toxic, with as little as two milligrams able to kill an adult.
The figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) were based on reports submitted to the National Vital Statistics System, which monitors births and deaths nationwide.
They showed there were 105,452 overdose deaths from drugs in 2022.
But the figure is still provisional because of the time taken for deaths to be cataloged and the cause of death to be determined — with another few thousand still expected to be reported.
Based on the provisional figures, overdose fatalities are expected to have risen 0.5 percent in 2022 compared to the previous year.
This is a lower rise than in previous years, with deaths ticking up 16 percent to 2021 and 30 percent the year beforehand — but does not represent a drop in the figures.
It is also the equivalent of all 660 passengers on a Boeing 747-400 dying every other day.
Dr Rahul Gupta, the director of the White House Office of National Drug
