Drug Overdose Deaths Reach Record High, CDC Data Shows

Heroin and fentanyl pressed into pill form. Courtesy of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration

Nearly 108,000 Americans died of drug overdoses in 2022, according to final federal figures released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday.

The number of overdose deaths has risen nearly every year over the last two decades, breaking annual records and making it the worst epidemic in U.S. history.

In 2022, the official number of overdose deaths was 107,941, the CDC said, an increase of about 1 percent over the 107,000 overdose deaths in 2021.

Early provisional data estimated more than 109,000 overdose deaths in 2022, which includes all overdose deaths, while the final numbers are limited to U.S. residents.

For the first time in five years, the female overdose death rate declined slightly between 2021 and 2022, although the decrease for females was “not significant,” according to the report (pdf).

The rate of male overdose deaths continued to inch up, accounting for approximately 70 percent of U.S. overdose deaths.

The overall drug overdose death rate rose from 2021 to 2022, but the increase was so small it was not considered statistically significant.

Overdose death numbers for 2023 have not yet been reported by the CDC, although early provisional data through the first 10 months of the year suggests overdose deaths to be stable.

Overdose Deaths by Age

There were significant decreases in the rate of drug overdose deaths in young adults among those aged 15-24 and 25-34 between 2021 and 2022.

In 2022, the rate of fatal overdoses for 15- to 24-year-olds was 15.1 (per 100,000 population), down from 17.1 in 2021, the report showed. The rate dropped from 52.9 to 50.6 over the same period for 25-to 34-year-olds.

For the second year in a row, adults between the ages of 35 and 44 had the highest rate of overdose deaths among people 15 and over, increasing from 62 to 63.1 per 100,000 population between 2021 and 2022.

There were also significant increases in overdose deaths for adults 45-54 and 55-64, the CDC said, over the two-year period. The rates rose from 53.8 to 55.3 per 100,000 population, and 45.3 to 48.1 per 100,000 population, respectively.

Adults over the age of 65 had the lowest rate of fatal overdoses in 2022, but they also had the largest rate of increase from 12 to 13.2 per 100,000 population year over year.

Other Significant Findings

The rate of overdose deaths jumped by a whopping 15 percent for American Indians and Alaskan native people, according to the report. The rate jumped from 56.6 to 65.2 per 100,000 population between 2021 and 2022.

There were also increases among black, Hispanic, and Asian people, while the rate decreased among white people.

Over the last five years, overdose deaths caused by synthetic opioids other than methadone more than doubled, the report showed.

Between 2021 and 2022, deaths involving psychostimulants were up by 4 percent, while fatal overdoses involving cocaine rose more than 12 percent.

Unraveling the Crisis

Many states and local authorities are working to combat the drug overdose crisis that has contributed to record numbers of deaths in recent years.

Earlier this month, lawmakers in Oregon approved, in a vote of 21-8, a measure to recriminalize the possession of drugs amid the rising crisis of overdose deaths. House Bill 4002 walks back its first-in-the-nation drug possession decriminalization law, which has been in place for three years.

The legislation would classify any possession of drugs, including fentanyl, heroin, and methamphetamine, as a misdemeanor requiring drug treatment to avoid jail. It is awaiting Gov. Tina Kotek’s signature.

In Texas, lawmakers passed a measure that requires overdose deaths involving fentanyl to be designated as “fentanyl poisoning” on death certificates for the purpose of pursuing charges against drug dealers. The law took effect Sept. 1.

Spring breakers in South Florida were recently offered doses of Narcan in an effort to save lives, WPLG-TV reported.

“We’ve put 5,000 doses of Narcan into spring breakers hands,” Dr. Thomas Smith, director of Behavioral Health Services at CARE Resource, according to the news outlet.

Narcan, also known as Naloxone, is a life-saving medication used to reverse an opioid overdose, allowing the person time to seek emergency medical treatment.

Public schools, universities, and even some airlines, including Southwest, are keeping Narcan on hand in an effort to save lives as the drug crisis continues.

Aldgra Fredly and The Associated Press contributed to this report.