Combatting the Third Opioid Crisis: Fentanyl

What history teaches us about the opioid cycle

Kim Sullivan, who's son (in photo), died of a heroin overdose, prepares to address students at Fitch Senior High School to educate teens about the dangers of opioid painkiller medication and heroin addiction on Feb. 26, 2016 in Groton, Conn. John Moore/Getty Images

NEW YORK—Every day, more than 115 people in the United States die from opioid overdose, according to a database from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).

“In New York City, more people die from drug overdose than they do from homicide, suicide, and motor vehicle crashes combined,” said Dr. Denise Paone, senior director of research and surveillance in the Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Use Prevention, Care and Treatment at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.