Drug Deaths: Medications and Beyond
The number of drug overdose deaths continues to rise and is not expected to go down anytime soon[1]. In 2017 there were upwards of 70,000 drug overdose deaths. Over 49,000 of these deaths were opioid-related with fentanyl-related deaths doubling from 2016-2017[2]. However, an estimated 23,000 (nearly 1/3) drug deaths did not involve opioids. Of the 49,000 opioid-related deaths, nearly 11,000 involved benzodiazepines and almost 15,000 involved cocaine. Put simply, many drug overdose deaths in 2016 and 2017 involved drugs (including alcohol) other than or in combination with opioids.
