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US overdose deaths hit record 107,000 last year, CDC says

Opioid Prescribing Guidelines
Posted at 10:24 AM, May 11, 2022
and last updated 2022-05-11 11:24:16-04

NEW YORK (AP) — More than 107,000 Americans died of drug overdoses last year, setting another tragic U.S. record.

That translates to roughly one overdose death every 5 minutes.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Wednesday released provisional data for 2021.

The estimate marked a 15% increase from the previous record — set in 2020.

The CDC reviews death certificates to come up with the estimates.

Overdose death trends are geographically uneven. Alaska saw a 75% increase in 2021 — the largest jump of any state. In Hawaii, overdose deaths fell by 2%.