FENTANYL DEATHS: A CATASTROPHIC EPIDEMIC
The impact of fentanyl has been the most tragic in the United States where, in one year, two out of every three drug overdose deaths were caused by fentanyl.
In April 2021, the total number of overdose deaths over a 12-month period reached 100,000 for the first time, with fentanyl as the main cause.1
In Canada during the first half of 2022, 76 percent of opioid-related overdose deaths involved fentanyl or a fentanyl-like substance. Total opioid deaths nearly doubled in just a few years.2
In Europe, 13 countries reported fentanyl-related deaths, including Germany, Sweden, United Kingdom and Finland.3
ZACHARIAH
FOREVER 17
ISSAIAH
FOREVER 15
AVA
FOREVER 24
AMANDA
FOREVER 28
JAMES
FOREVER 34
Photo credit: Angels Across America, photographs used with permission from the families of the victims
7 out of 10 pills sold on the black market that contain fentanyl hold a potentially lethal dose.
US FENTANYL OVERDOSE DEATHS COMPARED TO OTHER OPIOIDS4
REFERENCES
- Drug Overdose Deaths: Facts and Figures, National Institute on Drug Abuse
- Apparent Opioid and Stimulant Toxicity Deaths, Public Health Agency of Canada, January 2016 to June 2022
- Report on Drug-Related Deaths and Mortality in Europe, Update from the EMCDDA Expert Network, May 2021, European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction.
- Drug Overdose Deaths in the United States, 2002–2022, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Updated:
What Is Fentanyl
How Is Fentanyl Used?
Fake Pills: One Pill Can Kill
How Does Fentanyl Kill?
Short- & Long-Term Effects
A Short History of Fentanyl
Fentanyl Deaths: A Catastrophic Epidemic
Who We Lost to Fentanyl
The Truth About Drugs
