According to a recent New York Times article, the past year has accounted for the highest number of deaths due to drug overdose since the 1990s, when the opioid epidemic was just beginning. The death of more than 87,000 Americans has caused many to consider it a public health crisis. This has been worsened due to the stress brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused high unemployment rates, city lockdowns, self-quarantines, and the temporary closing of many treatment programs responsible for providing the medication used to reverse overdoses.

This preliminary data is based on information released by the Center for Disease Control (CDC), which showed a 29% rise in overdose-related deaths occurred between October 2019 and September 2020, most of which involved the use of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids. Unlike the opioid epidemic, which was mainly affecting White Americans, the current crisis is affecting Black Americans at a higher rate. Dr. Nora Volkow, the director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, adds that “the risk of dying from a methamphetamine overdose is 12-fold higher among American Indians and Alaskan Natives than other groups.” Dr. Volkow says drug combinations, like fentanyl with stimulants, are also more prevalent than ever before, mainly due to the larger profit generated by dealers for lacing non-opioid drugs with cheaper opioids.

The current administration recently expressed the urge to address and prioritize this epidemic by releasing an outline with measures regarding addiction treatment like those also supported by the previous administration. The ‘American Rescue Plan Act’ was developed by President Biden, where US$1.5 billion will go towards preventing and treating substance use disorders and US$30 million will go towards funding local services.

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