Drug Overdose Deaths Top 100K In America. Where Does NJ Stand?

NEW JERSEY — Yearly drug overdose deaths cleared 100,000 for the first time in American history, according to provisional data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

There were an estimated 100,306 drug overdose deaths in the United States during the 12-month period ending in April 2021, an increase of over 28 percent from the same period the year before.

But, in New Jersey, drug overdose deaths were down during that period, even amid the coronavirus pandemic. This marks the second consecutive year fatal overdoses were down after a five-year climb.

The data shows that in the year-long period ending in April 2021, there were 2,841 reported cases of drug overdose deaths in the state, as opposed to the same period ending in April 2020, in which 2,919 were reported. That represents a 2.7 percent drop in deaths.

This data also includes county totals, which are listed below:

• Atlantic — 159
• Bergen — 201
• Burlington — 146
• Camden — 276
• Cape May — 48
• Cumberland — 70
• Essex — 295
• Gloucester — 139
• Hudson — 166
• Hunterdon — 20
• Mercer — 123
• Middlesex — 223
• Monmouth — 188
• Morris — 94
• Ocean — 230
• Passaic — 156
• Salem — 29
• Somerset — 55
• Sussex — 46
• Union — 172
• Warren — 38

Nationally, estimated overdose deaths from opioids increased to 75,673 in the 12-month period ending in April 2021, up from 56,064 the year before. Overdose deaths from synthetic opioids — primarily fentanyl — and psychostimulants such as methamphetamine also increased, the CDC reports.

Cocaine deaths were also up, as were deaths from natural and semisynthetic opioids, such as prescription pain medication.

President Joe Biden issued a statement after the CDC totals were released, calling the more than 100,000 deaths a "tragic milestone."

"As we continue to make strides to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic, we cannot overlook this epidemic of loss, which has touched families and communities across the country," he said, in the statement.

Where to do we go from here?

As the death toll continues to rise, experts are growing more concerned about the rise in fentanyl, as well as continued opioid use.

Nora Volkov, the director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, told NPR that overdoses are driven more and more by fentanyl, as well as methamphetamines. As those drugs continue to spread, she predicted overdose deaths would continue to rise in unison.

"They are among the most addictive drugs that we know of and the most lethal," Volkov said.

The White House has made addiction treatment a significant priority, investing a record amount of resources in fighting the opioid crisis.

Biden's 2022 budget includes a $41.0 billion investment for national drug program agencies, with more than 57 percent of that spending going toward reduction programs, a category that includes activities like evidence-based treatment, harm reduction, prevention, and recovery services, according to a May statement.

But the administration has been wishy-washy when it comes to what evidence-based treatments they'll put full support behind. This includes the DEA's stance on Buprenorphine, known better as the brand names Suboxone and Subutex.

Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra recently told NPR that the government could begin pulling back opposition to legal drug injection and consumption sites, but officials from the agency walked it back just as quickly.

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