by Anthony Hennen
Drug overdose deaths were at a record-high in America in 2021, surpassing 2020’s by 15%.
Provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that 107,622 Americans died from drug overdoses in 2021, with the majority of those deaths connected to synthetic opioids.
Pennsylvania’s overdose deaths only rose 3.5%, considerably less than the national average. A total of 5,360 people died from overdoses in 2021 in Pennsylvania, compared to 5,178 in 2020. Only California and Florida have higher numbers, with Ohio and Texas trailing Pennsylvania.
While the numbers are not a shock, they emphasize the growing problem of overdose deaths in the state, and the lack of an effective solution. In 2015, Pennsylvania had a death rate from drug overdoses of 26.2 per 100,000 people, according to the CDC. In 2020, it was 42.4 per 100,000.
The national number of overdose deaths has more than doubled since 2015, when 52,623 Americans died from a drug overdose.
In a statement, Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse Nora Volkow called 2021’s numbers “truly staggering.”
Nationwide, 71,238 people died from synthetic opioids. Another 32,856 people died from psychostimulants, 24,538 people died from cocaine, and 13,503 people died from natural/semi-synthetic drugs.
As The Center Square has previously reported, some police departments in Pennsylvania noted that the majority of their time is spent dealing with problems connected to drugs.
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Anthony Hennen is a reporter for The Center Square. Previously, he worked for Philadelphia Weekly and the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal. He is managing editor of Expatalachians, a journalism project focused on the Appalachian region.
Photo “Drug Overdose” by Marco Verch Professional Photographer. CC BY 2.0.
