Coronavirus US: Pandemic causes spike in drug overdose deaths - Daily Mail

A total of 42 states have reported an increase in fatalities, mainly due to fentanyl, the synthetic opioid 100 times stronger than morphine, since the crisis began, according to the American Medical Association (AMA).

Last year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported drug overdose deaths jumped to nearly 71,000 - a record high that could be broken at the end of 2020.

The pattern of drugs involved in overdose deaths has changed in recent years, moving away from heroin and natural opioids to synthetic opioids including fentanyl.

According to the Defense Intelligence Agency, 68 percent of fentanyl and precursors used to make the drug originate in China. .

Counties in states such as California and Nevada say much of it is driven by fentanyl, the synthetic opioid 100 times stronger than morphine.

In the early 2000s, the FDA and CDC started to notice a steady increase in cases of opioid addiction and overdose?

The data lays bare the bleak state of America's opioid addiction crisis fueled by deadly manufactured drugs like fentanyl

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