Dopesick

In 2020, urban areas had 28.6 deaths per 100,000 compared to rural areas (26.2 per 100,000). However, the rate for males was higher in urban counties, while the rate for females was higher in rural counties.

This is a significant increase from the $1.02 trillion estimated costs for opioid use disorder and fatal opioid overdose in 2017. These costs reflect the profound effect of the opioid crisis on healthcare expenses, lost productivity, and the criminal justice system, necessitating investments in prevention and treatment strategies to alleviate this economic and social burden

In 2017 alone, a staggering 2.0 million Americans aged 12 or older misused prescription opioids for the first time, highlighting the widespread nature of this crisis.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) failed to effectively regulate the distribution of opioids, as they allowed suspiciously large shipments of opioids to be delivered to pharmacies without intervention, contributing to the crisis.

In just two decades, the number of opioid overdose deaths has soared from 8,048 in 1999 to a staggering 47,600 in 2017, revealing the alarming escalation of this crisis.