Opioid epidemic

Many people have died from  opioid overdoses in recent years: “In the United States nearly 50,000” in 2019 and in 2020 91,799.[1] In Canada there were “24,626 apparent opioid toxicity deaths between January 2016 and June 2021”.[2] A number of these deaths were caused by drug-dealers selling drugs laced with fentanyl.[3]

The emphasis on the use of opioids for "pain management" contributed to this crisis.[4] Another factor has been the increased anxiety created by the Covid 19 pandemic.[5]

## See also[edit]

* War on Drugs

## References[edit]

1. ↑ National Institute on Drug Abuse
2. ↑ “Opioid and Stimulant related Harms in Canada”. Government of Canada, December 2021
3. ↑ “Opioid and Stimulant related Harms in Canada”. Government of Canada, December 2021.
4. ↑ Letters to the Editor :Opinion – "The DEA, Big Pharma and the opioid crisis', The Washington Post, July 21, 2019
5. ↑ “Opioid and Stimulant related Harms in Canada”. Government of Canada, December 2021