CDC: Rise in overdoses from fentanyl mixed with cocaine, meth
- The data examined overdose rates involving cocaine and psychostimulants
- Overdoses of those drugs mixed with fentanyl rose faster than those without
- Fentanyl has become an increasing concern for public health officials
FILE – A display of the fentanyl and meth that was seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Nogales Port of Entry is shown during a press conference, Jan. 31, 2019, in Nogales, Ariz. On Tuesday, Feb. 7, President Joe Biden faced harsh rebukes from multiple angles as he spoke during his State of the Union address about trying to contain a drug overdose crisis driven by powerful illicit synthetic opioids like fentanyl, that has been killing more than 100,000 people a year in the U.S. (Mamta Popat/Arizona Daily Star via AP, File)
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(NewsNation) — A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed drug overdoses caused by fentanyl mixed with stimulants rose significantly between 2011 and 2021.
The agency examined data for overdoses involving cocaine and psychostimulants, a category that includes methamphetamine and closely related drugs.
They found overdoses involving cocaine increased nearly five times between 2011 and 2021. While non-opioid-related cocaine deaths also increased, it was at a much slower rate than overdoses involving cocaine mixed with opioids.
Overdose deaths from cocaine alone increased 2.1 times during the time period, while the number of deaths from cocaine mixed with opioids in 2021 was 7.4 times that of deaths in 2011.
Between 2011 and 2016, deaths involving psychostimulants alone were higher than deaths from those drugs mixed with opioids. Between 2017 and 2021, however, psychostimulants mixed with opioids accounted for more overdose deaths than psychostimulants alone.
Public health officials have warned of the dangers of fentanyl being mixed with other drugs, often without the consumer being aware as law enforcement continues efforts to track down on drug trafficking in the U.S.
