Nearly 108,000 Americans Died of Drug Overdoses in 2022, Breaking Record, CDC Says

The CDC released final figures showing that nearly 108,000 Americans died of drug overdoses in 2022, marking a continuous rise in overdose deaths over the past two decades. This trend has led to the worst overdose epidemic in American history. The fatal overdose rate for synthetic opioids like fentanyl increased by 4.1% between 2021 and 2022, along with increases in cocaine and psychostimulants.

However, there were declines in overdose rates for certain drugs such as heroin, natural and semisynthetic opioids, and methadone. The report also noted a decrease in overdose death rates among females for the first time in five years, while the rates for males continued to rise, constituting about 70% of U.S. overdose deaths. Read more from CBS here.