Meth Overdose Deaths Tripled in Recent Years

DYING TO GET HIGH –

Sept. 23, 2021 – Deaths from methamphetamine overdoses in the United States nearly tripled between 2015 and 2019, health officials report in a new study. From that time period, the investigators found the number of overdose deaths involving drugs other than cocaine, mostly methamphetamine, rose from more than 5,500 to nearly 15,500, a 180% increase. The number of people who reported using methamphetamine, however, increased by 43%.

Also, people who said they often used methamphetamine rose 66% between 2015 and 2019, and the number of people who used methamphetamine and cocaine together increased 60%.

Since 2017, more methamphetamine users reported higher-risk use patterns, such as having methamphetamine use disorder and/or injecting methamphetamine, which may be contributing to the uptick in meth overdose deaths, the researchers said.

Historically, methamphetamine has mostly been used by middle-aged white people, but now American Indians/Alaska Natives are the biggest users of the drug, according to the report. The analysis also found that methamphetamine use disorder without injection quadrupled in young adults ages 18 to 23.