(Bloomberg) -- Sadly, there's no end in sight.
The opioid epidemic contributed to a record 71,568 American drug deaths last year, according to preliminary data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That's an increase of 6.6 percent from a year earlier. Three states -- North Carolina, Nebraska and New Jersey -- saw a jump of 20 percent or more in drug overdose deaths.
Last year's number of drug deaths exceeded the number of suicides by almost 30,000, CDC data show.
Also see:
- Opioid Abuse by Pregnant Women Worsens Across U.S., Data Show
- Opioid Defendants Step Up Giving as a Costly Reckoning Looms
To contact the reporter on this story: Alex Tanzi in Washington at atanzi@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Kristy Scheuble at kmckeaney@bloomberg.net, Vincent Del Giudice
©2018 Bloomberg L.P.
Essential Business Intelligence, Continuous LIVE TV, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.
