New Hampshire reports 75 percent increase in drug overdose deaths

CDC press release announces that from 2000 to 2014 about half a million people died in the USA from drug overdose.

The latest CDC report shows that deaths from natural opiates such as morphine, codeine and semisynthetic prescription pain killers like oxycodone and hydrocodone has increased 10% from 2013 to 2014 with deaths from heroin overdoses increased by 26%. Deaths from heroin increased in 2014, continuing a sharp rise that has seen heroin overdoses triple since 2010.

The CDC report described the drug overdose deaths as an “emerging threat to public health and safety”.

Since 2000, the rate of deaths from drug overdoses in both males and females has increased by 137 per cent and deaths from opioids have increased by 300 per cent from the same year.

The report, released Friday, says the Commonwealth had 2,426 overdose deaths in 2013 and 2,732 in 2014, marking a 12.9 percent increase over that period. 80% deaths previous year were due to synthetic opioids.

People from all ethnic groups, ages and sexes were affected by drug overdose across the nation but the states which experienced significant increase in the rate of drug overdose deaths from 2013 to 2014 include Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

Drug overdoses increased 6.5 percent in 2014 from a year earlier, killing 47,055 people.

Increases in prescription opioid pain reliever and heroin deaths are the biggest driver of the drug overdose epidemic.

In sheer numbers, California – the most populous state – had the most overdose deaths a year ago, with more than 4,500.

“The increasing number of deaths from opioid overdose is alarming”, said CDC Director Tom Frieden.

“The impact of prescription drug and opioid abuse is being felt in every community across MI. To control these tendencies and save lives, we have to assist in preventing dependency and offer support and treatment to individuals who have problems with opioid use disorders”. Deaths involving illicitly made fentanyl, a potent opioid often added to or sold as heroin, also are on the upswing.

The health agency has also provided guidelines for general practitioners that urge them to be more cautious about the medications they prescribe for chronic pain.