Overdoses, the leading cause of death for Americans younger than 50
Overdoses, especially with opioids, have become in 2016, for the first time, the leading cause of death among Americans younger than 50, killing more people per year than car crashes, gun violence or HIV, preliminary data gathered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows.
The figures are based on preliminary data, as the full report by the CDC will be ready later this year.
According to the data, between 59,000 and 65,000 people could have died from overdoses in 2016, up from 52,404 in 2015. The death rate is double than a decade ago.
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According to experts, the main reason for the surge in overdose deaths is related to fentanyl – a painkiller substance made from opium.
The US Drug Enforcement Administration warned that fentanyl is now used by drug traffickers as a cheap way to strengthen the effect of heroin. But fentanyl can be up to 50 times more powerful than heroin, thus, using just a little too much can be lethal.
The DEA reported several cases in which police officers had an extreme reaction after touching or inhaling fentanyl-spiked drugs.
”The spread of fentanyl means that any encounter a law enforcement officer has with an unidentified white powder could be fatal. Just two milligrammes – the equivalent of a few grains of table salt, an amount that can fit on the tip of your finger – can be lethal” said Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.
CDC data show that West Virginia has the highest rate of death from opioid overdoses in the U.S.: 41.5 deaths per 100,000 people in 2015.
California, the most populous state in the U.S., had the largest total number of overdose deaths in 2015 – 4,659 in 2015, followed by Ohio with 3,310.
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