Record 93,000 Americans Died Due To Drug Overdose In 2020

Opioids, primarily illicitly manufactured fentanyl, were responsible for 69,710 of the deaths -- a trend in keeping with the last several years.

US deaths from drug overdoses surged to a record 93,000 during 2020, driven largely by rising opioid use during the pandemic, official data showed Wednesday. A provisional count from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Vital Statistics System showed 93,331 deaths for the 12 months ending December 2020, an all-time high, and up 29.4 percent on the year before. Opioids, primarily illicitly manufactured fentanyl, were responsible for 69,710 of the deaths -- a trend in keeping with the last several years. Deaths involving psychostimulants with abuse potential, such as methamphetamine, were also up.