2021 Was the Deadliest Year in U.S. History
TimeSep 09, 2022
Drug Overdoses Contribute to 2021 Being Deadliest Year in US History
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Image copyright: AP [via Stat News]
The Facts
The CDC has updated its provisional death tally in America for 2021 to 3.465M, up 80K from 2020's record.
Provisional data through Oct. shows an increase in drug overdose deaths from 93K in 2020 to 105K in 2021. The number of teenagers dying from overdoses saw a spike of 20% after having doubled from 2019-2020. Most of these overdoses involved the synthetic opioid fentanyl.
The Spin
Left narrative
The US is experiencing a public health crisis. More education is needed to protect people, especially the young and vulnerable communities of color, from opioids like Fentanyl.
Right narrative
Fentanyl is flooding the US through our porous southern border. Fentanyl seizures by US Customs and Border Protection have soared in recent years – security must be tightened.
