
Although Americans represent only 5 percent of the world’s population, they consume 80 percent of the world’s supply of opioids. In 2015, over 22,000 deaths occurred due to prescription opioids, an increase from around 19,000 deaths in 2014. One of the major reasons behind such a massive increase in deaths is the involvement of synthetic opioids like fentanyl. This translates into an average of 62 deaths per day. Since 2000, the rate of drug overdose deaths has increased by 137 percent, including a 200 percent increase in deaths due to opioids. Continue reading