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While the opioid epidemic continues to make many US victims, the deaths associated with another drug are multiplying.
In the last 12 months of March, cocaine overdose deaths increased by 22% over the previous year to 14,205, according to data released last week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Meanwhile, 46,655 people died of an opioid overdose over the same period, down 2.7% from the peak of 47,944 in 2017.
The figures could indicate that the epidemic of opioids is in its final stages, according to Daniel Ciccarone, a professor at the University of California at San Francisco. "We could interpret this as good news because the heroin cycle could be at its peak or down," he said.
Although cocaine mortality has increased, opioids could still be the culprit behind the scenes. More and more consumers are knowingly or unconsciously consuming cocaine related to other drugs, especially synthetic opioids, and the National Institute on Drug Addiction believes that the phenomenon is at least partly responsible the recent increase in the number of deaths of cocaine users.
Historically, sedative drug epidemics such as opioids are followed by an increase in the use of stimulants such as methamphetamine and cocaine, Ciccarone said. "As the heroin habits of consumers deepen and become more tolerant, cocaine is a reminder – the speed ball."
President Donald Trump said last year that drug addiction and opioid death are a public health emergency. On average, more than 100 people die each day as a result of drug misuse. In 2016, an estimated 2.2 million people in the United States reported receiving treatment in the past year to reduce or stop illicit drug use, including prescription drug abuse. , or medical problems related to illicit drug use. The health problem extends to the entire economy while states, particularly in the Midwest, are struggling with addiction and spinoffs that keep people from getting away from it all. enter the job market and to school.
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