Teenage overdose deaths nearly doubled in 2020, according to a UCLA study out Tuesday. Experts say fentanyl and counterfeit pills are to blame.
It is the first time in recorded history that the teen drug death rate has seen an exponential rise, said lead author Dr. Joseph Friedman, an addiction researcher and Ph.D. candidate at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA."The increases are almost entirely due to illicit fentanyls, which are increasingly found in counterfeit pills," Friedman said. "These counterfeit pills are spreading across the nation, and teens may not realize they are dangerous.
The researchers used the CDC WONDER database to calculate drug overdose deaths per 100,000 population for adolescents aged 14 to 18 years that occurred from January 2010 to June 2021. They found 518 deaths, or a rate of 2.4 per 100,000, among adolescents in 2010, and a steady rate of 492 deaths each subsequent year through 2019. In 2020, there was a sharp increase to 954 deaths , rising to 1,146 deaths in early 2021.
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Deadly overdoses have spiked among teens, even as drug use dropped, UCLA researchers findThe findings underscore the fact that teens face serious danger from the kinds of drugs circulating in the U.S., including fentanyl.
Read more »
UCLA coach Chip Kelly trying to build a foundation for fallReps and fundamentals are more important than any pairings or depth charts in spring practice, Kelly says.
Read more »
NPR Cookie Consent and Choices
Read more »
Deadly overdoses have spiked among teens, even as drug use dropped, UCLA researchers findThe findings underscore the fact that teens face serious danger from the kinds of drugs circulating in the U.S., including fentanyl.
Read more »
Covid-19: Two Covid-related deaths and 927 casesThe total number of deaths linked to Covid-19 in NI since the start of the pandemic is 3,369.
Read more »
Covid-19: Three Covid-related deaths and 632 casesThe total number of deaths linked to Covid-19 in NI since the start of the pandemic is 3,367.
Read more »