Every day, on average, more than 130 people in the United States die after overdosing on opioids. According to the CDC, drug overdoses killed more than 70,000 people in the United States in 2017, with 1,072 taking place in CT alone. The misuse of and addiction to opioids—including prescription pain relievers, heroin, and synthetic opioids such as fentanyl—is a serious national crisis.

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The Opioid Epidemic was declared a national public health emergency in October of 2017 and affects public health as well as social welfare and economic interests. Accidental drug overdose is now the leading cause of death for Americans under 50, with more than three out of five overdose deaths involving an opioid.

Misuse or abuse includes taking medications in higher doses than prescribed, taking them for a purpose other than that for which it was prescribed, taking a medication that was prescribed for another person, or taking a drug obtained off the streets.
• 48.5 million Americans have used illicit drugs or have misused prescription medications.
• Roughly 21 to 29 percent of patients prescribed opioids for chronic pain misuse them.
• Between 8 and 12 percent develop an opioid use disorder.
• An estimated 4 to 6 percent who misuse prescription opioids transition to heroin.

For more information about the national epidemic, visit the Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at: https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/data/statedeaths.html

Background and Overview for Connecticut:
Connecticut is among the top ten states with the highest rates of opioid-related
overdose deaths. There has been a steady increase in total overdose deaths among residents from 357 deaths in 2012 to 1,072 deaths in 2017. The CT Medical Examiner predicts that in 2018, the state of CT is on trend to reach 1,100 fatal overdoses. Our state residents are more likely to die from an unintentional drug overdose than they are from a motor vehicle accident. Opiate abuse is a continued concern for the community served by the East Shore District Health Department.
In our community, 23 residents died of an overdose in 2017. Most of those overdose deaths occurred in residents 25-44 years of age and the majority of those deaths occurred in the home. This demonstrates the importance of Securing, Monitoring, and Destroying medications properly to help prevent opioid abuse and deaths related to opioids.

For more information:
https://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/opioids/opioid-overdose-crisis

https://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/opioids/opioid-summaries-by-state/...