According to a new study published in the journal JAMA Network Open by researchers from St Michaels Hospital in Toronto, Canada, the opioid problem in the United States has been getting far worse in the last 3 years. The percentage of all opiate deaths — that accounts for heroin, painkillers, and more — has increased 292%.
1.68 million people died in 2016 alone, according to the research, with most deaths happening between the ages of 24 and 35.
- For the 24 to 35 age bracket, 1 in 5 (20%) deaths were due to opioid use, up from just 4% in 2001.
- 1,681,359 years of life were lost (the average age of American life is 78.4 years, as per the 2012 census)
- Perhaps most shocking of all, opioids accounted for 12.5% of the deaths between ages 15 to 24.
- 67.5% of opioid deaths were men, with the median age of 40 years old.
I wonder why the gender disparity exists? Is it because most individuals that work construction jobs and other high-risk jobs are men and if they are injured they get prescribed opioids?
ReplyDeleteThat is terrible. "Perhaps the most shocking of all, opioids accounted for 12.5% of the deaths between ages 15-24." Life is so precious. I hate seeing the good die young.
ReplyDeleteThis is crazy! Shows how bad this situation is
ReplyDeleteThese statistics are actually mindblowing! It's scary to think that based off of this study, for a class as small as ours, 3 of us are projected to die to an opioid related death.
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