Judy: America's opioid crisis
shows no signs of abating.
New data out today indicates
deaths from drug overdoses in
the U.S. Reached a record high
last year.
Geoff Bennett breaks down the
latest.
>> New numbers from the CDC
shows how drug overdoses have
surged during the pandemic.
More than one hundred 7000
Americans died of drug overdoses
in 2021.
The highest annual death ever
recorded.
And a 15% increase from the year
before.
Deaths involving fanta Helen, M
-- fentanyl, meth, and cocaine
rose.
Joining us is the director of
the institute of national drug
abuse.
To what do you attribute these
numbers?
Fentanyl related deaths are up,
meth and cocaine overdose deaths
are up.
>> One factor is the stress and
uncertainty the covid pandemic
brought that made many people
vulnerable to drug taking is a
way to cope with stressors.
The other is during the covid
pandemic, we have seen an
acceleration of distribution of
fentanyl all over the U.S..
And it is being used not just to
be sold by itself, but
frequently sold to contaminate
heroin, or recently, to
contaminate cocaine and
methamphetamines.
More recently, to contaminate
illicitly manufactured
prescription drugs.
And because fentanyl is so
potent, it increases the risk of
overdose significantly.
So people in the past two were
able to take drugs more or less
safely are now actually very
high risk of overdosing.
>> I want to ask more about the
people unknowingly exposed.
Those who attended to by not
only opioid street drugs are
counterfeit bills like adderall
that were cut with a lethal dose
of fentanyl.
Help us understand the
proliferation of those types of
drugs and what can be done about
it.
>> A very significant increase
in the people using cocaine, but
we have seen a very dramatic
increase in people dying from
the use of cocaine.
Similar for methamphetamines.
This means the drugs these
people are purchasing are much
more lethal.
This is driven by the fact that
they are frequently cohabitated
-- contaminated.
Those who may be seeking out an
amphetamine to prepare for an
exam or cannot fall asleep, they
buy it in the illicit drug
market and can end up with a
drug with fentanyl and that
increases the very high risk of
overdosing.
>> I want to shift our focus to
solutions.
In terms of treatment, what
works and what doesn't?
>> We know if you have an opr
use disorder that is opioid
addiction, there are medications
that are very effective in
preventing the withdrawal and
relapse in preventing you from
overdosing.
If you have an opioid addiction,
there are many that can be given
to people.
Now that that has shifted to
people that may be addicted to
cocaine or methamphetamine,
which we don't have --, but we
have interventions.
We should be able to offer dose
therapeutics to people like
them.
And when you start looking at
people that actually do not have
a problem with addiction, butter
-- but are occasional users, we
can provide them with education
and screening to ensure they are
aware of the consequences the
drug taking may take.
And we have a very effective
medication for reversing
overdoses, narcan or naloxone,
if you are overdosing with
opioids.
But if you overdose with
methamphetamine contaminated
with fentanyl, naloxone is not
as effective.
It will not be as effective if
you have a combination of
toxicity.
And that is an area that
requires research development.
>> Is this a uniquely American
problem?
Our other countries grappling
with this?
What more do you think needs to
be done to address the surgical
opioid overdoses?
>> I would say that the U.S. Is
among the countries with the
highest rates of use.
Candida has also seen an
increase in overdose deaths
driven by fentanyl.
A lot of European countries --
but not at the level of the
whole country, the rates we are
observing.
So we need to ask ourselves that
question.
What is making Americans
vulnerable to drug taking?
One of the components we know
about is the social determinants
and disparities that are driving
people to escape their realities
taking drugs.
The problem is now the drugs
they may be taking could be
extremely risky and dangerous.
>> The director of the national
institute on drug abuse.
Thank you for your time and