U.S. Fentanyl-Related Overdose Deaths Doubled From 2016 To 2017

Between January 2016 and January 2017, the number of overdose deaths in the United States due to synthetic opioids such as fentanyl and fentanyl analogs more than doubled, according to preliminary reports from six states and New York City. Aggregated data from these jurisdictions (Alaska, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, New York City, Virginia, and Washington) indicated that for the 12 months ended January 2016, there were 9,945 overdose deaths due to synthetic opioids; for the 12 months ended January 2017, there were 20,145 overdose deaths due to synthetic opioids. The rise in fatal overdoses due to synthetic opioids in . . .