President Donald Trump declared the opioid crisis a nationwide public health emergency on Thursday and announced new steps to combat the worst drug crisis in U.S. history. Here’s a look at the crisis, by the numbers: — Number of Americans
President Donald Trump declared the opioid crisis a nationwide public health emergency on Thursday and announced new steps to combat the worst drug crisis in U.S. history.
Here’s a look at the crisis, by the numbers:
— Number of Americans addicted to opioids, which include prescription pain medications such as Vicodin and Percocet, along with illicit cousins such as heroin: 2.4 million.
— Number of Americans who died from opioids and other drugs last year: 64,000, nearly twice the number of deaths from motor vehicle crashes.
— Number of drug overdose deaths since 2000: more than 500,000, nearly 300,000 more than the number of murders involving guns.
— State with the highest number of annual overdose deaths: California.
— State with the highest annual rate of overdose deaths: West Virginia.
Sources: U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
