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Steep increases in fentanyl-related mortality west of the Mississippi River: Recent evidence from county and state surveillance
- Source :
- Drug and Alcohol Dependence
- Publication Year :
- 2020
- Publisher :
- Elsevier BV, 2020.
-
Abstract
- Highlights • Fentanyl has meaningfully spread to U.S. illicit drug markets west of the Mississippi. • 2019 and 2020 mortality records were identified from seven jurisdictions. • Share of national synthetic narcotic mortality tripled from 2017 to 2019. • Fentanyl is increasingly involved in fatal stimulant, heroin, and pill overdoses.<br />Background Overdose deaths from synthetic opioids (e.g., fentanyl) increased 10-fold in the United States from 2013 to 2018, despite such opioids being rare in illicit drug markets west of the Mississippi River. Public health professionals have feared a “fentanyl breakthrough” in western U.S. drug markets could further accelerate overdose mortality. We evaluated the number and nature of western U.S. fentanyl deaths using the most recent data available. Methods We systematically searched jurisdictions west of the Mississippi River for publicly available data on fentanyl-related deaths since 2018, the most recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) statistics. Using mortality data from 2019 and 2020, we identified changes in fentanyl-related mortality rate and proportion of fatal heroin-, stimulant, and prescription pill overdoses involving fentanyl. Results Seven jurisdictions had publicly available fentanyl death data through December 2019 or later: Arizona; California; Denver County, CO; Harris County, TX; King County, WA; Los Angeles County, CA; and Dallas-Fort Worth, TX (Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Tarrant counties). All reported increased fentanyl deaths over the study period. Their collective contribution to national synthetic narcotics mortality increased 371 % from 2017 to 2019. Available 2020 data shows a 63 % growth in fentanyl-mortality over 2019. Fentanyl-involvement in heroin, stimulant, and prescription pill deaths has substantially grown. Discussion Fentanyl has spread westward, increasing deaths in the short-term and threatening to dramatically worsen the nation’s already severe opioid epidemic in the long-term. Increasing the standard dose of naloxone, expanding Medicaid, improving coverage of addiction treatment, and public health educational campaigns should be prioritized.
- Subjects :
- Male
medicine.medical_specialty
Overdose
Stimulants
030508 substance abuse
Toxicology
Article
Methamphetamine
Fentanyl
Heroin
03 medical and health sciences
0302 clinical medicine
Cocaine
Naloxone
mental disorders
medicine
Humans
Pharmacology (medical)
Longitudinal Studies
030212 general & internal medicine
Mortality
Medical prescription
Pharmacology
Surveillance
Local Government
Illicit Drugs
business.industry
Public health
Mortality rate
Opioid-Related Disorders
United States
Analgesics, Opioid
Psychiatry and Mental health
Population Surveillance
Pill
Female
Synthetic opioids
Drug Overdose
0305 other medical science
business
Medicaid
State Government
Demography
medicine.drug
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 03768716
- Volume :
- 216
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Drug and Alcohol Dependence
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....04f3e5c62eb31c021373f1c00c6d57ee