(CNN) — Preliminary data from the CDC published Wednesday shows that a record number of people died from drug overdoses last year.
According to the agency’s estimated provisional numbers, there were upwards of 92,000 overdose deaths in the 12-month period ending in November 2020. That’s the most deaths since the CDC started tracking those statistics in 1999.
Overdose deaths have been on the rise in the last two decades, nearly doubling between 2010 and 2018.
Experts say the trend has been jumpstarted by the increased use and abuse of opioid painkillers. Synthetic opioids such as fentanyl continue to be the main driver.
