Deaths From Fentanyl and Other Synthetic Opioids Rose 72% in One Year

Drug deaths from fentanyl and other synthetic opioids rose 72 percent from 2014 to 2015, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report.

New York experienced the greatest rise in synthetic opioid deaths, with a 135.7 percent increase. Other states with large increases included Connecticut (125.9 percent) and Illinois (120 percent).

The CDC says 33,091 people died from overdoses of illicit and prescription opioid painkillers in 2015, according to CNN. Opioid overdoses account for 63 percent of drug overdose deaths in 2015, up from 61 percent in 2014.

“Too many Americans are feeling the devastation of the opioid crisis either from misuse of prescription opioids or use of illicit opioids,” CDC Director Tom Frieden said in a news release. “Urgent action is needed to help health care providers treat pain safely and treat opioid use disorder effectively, support law enforcement strategies to reduce the availability of illicit opiates, and support states to develop and implement programs that can save lives.”