CDC reports more than 107,000 overdose deaths in 2021

The CDC estimates that 107,622 overdose deaths occurred in 2021, a 14.9% increase from 2020, which previously held the record for overdose deaths in a 12-month period, according to a report from the National Center for Health Statistics.

Rahul Gupta, MD, MPH, MBA, FACP, White House Office of National Drug Control Policy director, said in the report that a life is lost to overdose every 5 minutes.

“That is why President [Joe] Biden’s new National Drug Control Strategy signals a new era of drug policy centered on individuals and communities, focusing specifically on the actions we must take right now to reduce overdoses and save lives,” Gupta said.

This strategy proposes targeted actions to expand access to evidence-based prevention, harm reduction, and treatment and recovery services, while reducing the supply of drugs such as fentanyl, Gupta said.

“Those actions include expanding access to high impact harm reduction tools like naloxone, quickly connecting more people to treatment, disrupting and dismantling drug trafficking operations, and improving data to systems that drive the nation’s drug policy,” Gupta said.

References:

White House. Statement from Dr. Rahul Gupta on today’s CDC overdose death data. https://www.whitehouse.gov/ondcp/briefing-room/2022/05/11/statement-from-dr-rahul-gupta-on-todays-cdc-overdose-death-data-4/. Published May 11, 2022. Accessed May 12, 2022.