Finder's Findings

Trusted Statistical Analysis

Drug Overdoses Have Risen Significantly Since the Turn of the Century

By Brennan Finder

Opioids

There's no doubt that drugs are a serious problem in the United States. Officials from the Center of Disease Control revealed that over 100,000 Americans have died per year from drug use since 2021. These deaths haven't come out of nowhere however, as this problem has been growing for decades. In 2018, the CDC released a large series of fatal drug overdose rates that describe various factors relating to these deaths. By examining this data, we can determine who's dying, what specific drugs are killing them and how these trends have changed over the last 20 years.

In 1999, twelve out of every 100,000 Americans died as a result of a drug overdose. Jump forward to just two decades later and that number has more than tripled. John Kikol, the president of the FBI Cleveland Citzens Academy Alumni Association (FBICCAAA), knows the severity of this situation.

“Drugs are a problem everywhere. Almost every family is impacted by it today in some way, shape or form. Either with direct family members or close friends,” Kikol said.

One of the reasons for the uptick in deaths is the type of drugs that are finding their way onto the streets. The CDC data shows that synthetic opioids have been responsible for an increasing amount of overdoses in recent years. In 2015, they overtook heroin as the leading cause of fatal overdoses and their death toll has only gone up since then. According to Yale Medicine addiction specialist Carrie MacMillan, synthetic opioids like fentanyl have grown widespread due to their ability to be cheaply produced in labs. However, their high potency has led to far more fatal overdoses than drugs of the past.

A large concern for parents across the country is the rate of teens and young adults who are tragically passing from drug overdoses. Americans under the age of 25 have seen a similar level of increased deaths in recent years.

Kikol is in charge of FBICCAAA initiatives that reach children in the local Cleveland community. These programs are intended to teach lessons about decision making and avoiding high-risk behaviors like gang violence and drug use. He believes there's a mental health problem that's exacerbating the drug situation.

“More and more kids today need counseling. Coping skills seem to be gone in these younger generations. Drugs become an easy outlet and whether intentional or accidental many people are dying because they don't think they can solve their problems elsewhere,” Kikol said.

The CDC data doesn't reveal any significant revelations regarding race. This makes sense to Kikol who hasn't seen many differences at a teenage level. He said, “there's not just one specific racial or even economic group impacted by drugs. Many people think it's just inner city kids, but often suburban kids have more money and more ability to buy drugs.”

However, there is a clear distinction between the overdose rates of males and females. On average males experience fatal overdoses almost twice as often as females.

“Statistically men tend to be more aggressive, take more risks and commit more crimes, so this is just another example of those types of patterns,” said Kikol.

Despite the unfortunate trends that are apparent throughout the data, there is one positive takeaway. Across the board, fatal drug overdoses decreased from 2017 to 2018. A potential reason for this development is the widespread distribution of naloxone, often referred to as its brand name Narcan. The medication takes the form of a nasal spray and can be easily used to revive anyone suffering an opioid overdose.

Kikol has made a strong effort to inform the community about the importance of carrying the life-saving medication.

He said, “Our goal is to at least make people aware of the fact that drugs are a prevalent issue and everyone should have (Narcan) so if their son or daughter is in an unfortunate situation, at least they don't lose that child.”

FBICCAAA has held information sessions for parents and community members, but Kikol plans on bringing Narcan awareness programs to high schools in the near future.