4. A Few Stark Reminders About the Opioid Epidemic
From 1999 – 2017 in the United States, 400,000 people have died from the opioid epidemic.1On average, 130 Americans die every day from an opioid overdose.2 In 2018 there were 68,557 deaths from overdose with 50,000 of those deaths resulting from prescription opioids.3This is more deaths than by guns, car crashes, or HIV/AIDS in one year in the US.4 People age 25 – 44 have the highest death rates.5 Children and adolescents are not spared as 8986 died between 1999 and 2016 from opioid poisoning – a 268.2% increase in mortality rate.6 There was a five-fold increase in babies born with a drug withdrawal syndrome called Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) from 2004 to 2014 (last year reported). 7 Nearly one in every three people know someone addicted to opioids. 8 In 2016, CDC estimated 20.4% of US adults had chronic pain and 8.0% had high-impact chronic pain.9 Cost to society is $78.5B/year.10
Something Needs to be Done.
From 1999 – 2017 in the United States, 400,000 people have died from the opioid epidemic.1On average, 130 Americans die every day from an opioid overdose.2 In 2018 there were 68,557 deaths from overdose with 50,000 of those deaths resulting from prescription opioids.3This is more deaths than by guns, car crashes, or HIV/AIDS in one year in the US.4 People age 25 – 44 have the highest death rates.5 Children and adolescents are not spared as 8986 died between 1999 and 2016 from opioid poisoning – a 268.2% increase in mortality rate.6 There was a five-fold increase in babies born with a drug withdrawal syndrome called Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) from 2004 to 2014 (last year reported). 7 Nearly one in every three people know someone addicted to opioids. 8 In 2016, CDC estimated 20.4% of US adults had chronic pain and 8.0% had high-impact chronic pain.9 Cost to society is $78.5B/year.10
Something Needs to be Done.