How Fentanyl Is Affecting the USA

    RESEDA, CA, June 20, 2023 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Over the past few years, fentanyl in the USA has become a major issue. It's estimated that deaths involving this synthetic opioid have increased 7.5-fold from 2015 to 2021*, and the number of preventable deaths involving fentanyl increased by an alarming 26% from 2020 to 2021.** While fentanyl is the leading cause of overdose deaths in the US, there are more affects from the fentanyl crisis.

The lost lives are not the only cost of fentanyl – it has had significant economic effects as well. The epidemic is estimated to have cost nearly $1.5 trillion in 2020***, which is 7% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Like many other drug crises, fentanyl is affecting poor, marginalized, and underprivileged communities the most. Take, for example, the rate of opioid deaths in Black, American Indian, or Alaska Native communities, which are well above the national average.**** Fentanyl is also a leading cause of death for people experiencing homelessness, especially in large urban areas like Los Angeles.*****

Primarily, east coast states have the highest rates of opioid overdose deaths,****** comprising all 10 states with the highest rate in 2021. New Mexico and Arizona are the only states in the western US with an opioid overdose rate over the national average. However, fentanyl is still an issue for every state and citizens of these other states are still at risk of being affected.

The Discovery House is an inpatient drug and alcohol addiction center in Reseda, California servicing the Los Angeles area and beyond. They provide a variety of treatment services, including alcohol rehab, drug rehab, inpatient treatment, therapy and counseling, drug detox, and family programs. The luxury treatment facility was built specifically to best help patients recover from their addiction and rediscover their life.

If you would like more information about this topic, please call The Discovery House at (818) 452-1676 or email [email protected].

*Source: https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/trends-statistics/overdose-death-rates
**Source: https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/home-and-community/safety-topics/drugoverdoses/data-details/#:~:text=The%20fentanyl%20category%20of%20opioids,the%2053%2C480%20total%20in%202020.
***Source: https://beyer.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=5684
****Source: https://www.kff.org/other/state-indicator/opioid-overdose-deaths-by-raceethnicity/?dataView=1¤tTimeframe=0&selectedRows=%7B%22wrapups%22:%7B%22united-states%22:%7B%7D%7D%7D&sortModel=%7B%22colId%22:%22Location%22,%22sort%22:%22asc%22%7D
*****Source: http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/phcommon/public/media/mediapubhpdetail.cfm?prid=4384
******Source: https://www.kff.org/other/state-indicator/opioid-overdose-deaths-by-raceethnicity/?dataView=1&activeTab=map¤tTimeframe=0&selectedDistributions=overall&sortModel=%7B%22colId%22:%22Overall%22,%22sort%22:%22desc%22%7D

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