The nation reached a terrible milestone over the past year, with health officials noting that the U.S. saw more than 100,000 drug overdose deaths between May 2020 and April 2021 — a grim record that should alarm everyone.
The national figures represent a startling 30% increase in overdose deaths from the previous year, a drastic acceleration of a longstanding trend. Overdose deaths topped those caused by car crashes, gun violence, flu and pneumonia and were nearly as deadly as diabetes, the nation’s No. 7 killer.
Oklahoma has not been immune. The state saw 798 people die from drug overdoses in the same 12-month period, an increase of 20% from the previous 12 months.
The reasons for this surge are many. The opioid crisis — one in which powerful prescription pain medications fueled a full-blown addiction epidemic — kicked off a wave of overdose deaths.
In more recent years, fentanyl — a highly potent and addictive drug — has made its presence felt. The drug can be taken by itself or mixed with other drugs, and its abuse has been cited as one of the main reasons this plague of overdose deaths is sweeping the country.
The mixing of fentanyl with illegal substances, such as methamphetamine and cocaine, is a prime reason overdose deaths attributed to those two drugs are also on the rise.
Health officials also noted another underlying cause for this steep increase in drug-related fatalities: the COVID-19 pandemic.
Stress caused by the pandemic — loss of jobs, loss of life, isolation and so forth — has caused what Dr. Jason Beaman, executive director of Oklahoma State University’s National Center for Wellness & Recovery, called “a despair epidemic.”
That in turn has caused far too many people to turn to drugs to cope.
Health officials predict that 2021 could bring even worse figures, as the underlying causes of drug overdoses have not abated.
The good news is that in Oklahoma, progress is being made in responding to this crisis.
State officials wisely gave the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services wider latitude to make sure inpatient and outpatient drug treatment is available.
Wait times for treatment as long as six months have been cut down dramatically, with many treatment centers able to offer near-immediate appointments.
Far more needs to be done. Law enforcement needs continued support to combat drug trafficking. Local, state and federal authorities must redouble their efforts to end the pandemic. Public health agencies and private health care providers need more support from the government to thwart substance abuse and treat addiction.
Many issues loom large at the state Legislature and in Congress. We’d urge policymakers to place this deadly crisis high on their list of priorities.
[Tulsa World]
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