National News
US overdose deaths hit record 93,000 last year
NEW YORK (AP) Overdose deaths soared to a record 93,000 last year in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.
Jul. 14 2021 @ 11:05pm
FILE - In this Sunday, May 10, 2020 file photo, Sharon Rivera adjusts flowers and other items left at the grave of her daughter, Victoria, at Calvary Cemetery in New York, on Mother s Day. Victoria died of a drug overdose in Sept. 22, 2019, when she just 21 years old. According to a report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday, July 14, 2021, drug overdose deaths soared to a record 93,000 last year in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File)
WHECTV Created: July 14, 2021 10:18 AM
NEW YORK (AP/WHEC) Overdose deaths soared to a record 93,000 last year in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. government reported Wednesday.
That estimate far eclipses the high of about 72,000 drug overdose deaths reached the previous year and amounts to a 29% increase.
In Monroe County, there was an increase in overdose deaths during the pandemic, but not by nearly as much as the rest of the country saw.
In 2020, 137 people died of overdoses in Monroe County compared to 127 in 2019; an increase of 8%.
Monroe County s 2020 overdose deaths also represented a dramatic drop when compared to 2017 s overdose deaths, when the county recorded its highest number of fatalities.
Jul 14, 2021
Photo: AFP
The Biden administration needs to continue the offensive against the opioid industry that Trump started.
You have to wonder how many lives could have been saved were it not for such strict lockdowns early in the pandemic.
Our criminal justice system needs to stop being so punitive toward addicts. That doesn t solve anything.
93,000 Americans died of drug overdoses last year. That s 21,000 more than the previous high.
Experts say that lockdowns further isolated those dealing with addiction and other mental health issues. And coronavirus restrictions made it harder to get treatment.
Sociologist Shannon Monnat of Syracuse University says there s no evidence that drug use actually increased last year. She says there were two problems:
National News
Overdose deaths hit 93K during pandemic
Overdose deaths soared to a record 93,000 last year in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. government reported Wednesday.
by Associated Press
Jul. 14 2021 @ 8:26pm
This August 2017 provided by the family shows Jordan McGlashen, left, and his brother, Collin. Jordan died of a drug overdose in his Ypsilanti, Mich, apartment in 2020. He was pronounced dead on May 6, the day before his 39th birthday. It was really difficult for me to think about the way in which Jordan died. He was alone, and suffering emotionally and felt like he had to use again, said his younger brother, Collin. (Courtesy Collin McGlashen via AP)