In 2016, drug overdoses killed nearly sixty-four thousand Americans (63,632) and nearly 66% of those deaths involved a prescription or illicit opioid, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Overdose deaths increased in all categories of drugs examined for men and women, people ages 15 and older, all races and ethnicities, and across all levels of urbanization.

The overdose death rate from synthetic opioids (other than methadone) more than doubled, likely driven by illicitly manufactured fentanyl. Death rates from overdoses involving synthetic opioids increased in 21 states, with 10 states doubling their rates from 2015 to 2016. New Hampshire, West Virginia, and Massachusetts had the highest death rates from synthetic opioids.

The prescription opioid-related overdose death rate increased by 10.6 percent. The heroin-related overdose death rate increased by 19.5 percent. Overall drug overdose death rates increased by 21.5 percent.