The US is more likely to die from opioid overdose than in a car accident

Illicit drugs such as heroin, synthetic opiates such as fentanyl and legal prescription drugs such as OxyContin or Vicodin are all opioids and, according to a new report published this week, it is much more likely that a man in the US will die by accident overdose of medicines or medicines than in car accidents.

The National Security Council report analyzed the statistics on accidents that can be prevented in 2017 and reflects the fact that it has been known for the first time since then. die more often from overdose than from falls, public incidents, drowning or fire.

The probability of accidental overdose is 1 in 96but the likelihood of a road accident is 1 in 103, but dies during a fall or fire in 114. In terms of suicide, this figure is higher: 1 out of 88. The total number of deaths from accidental overdose in 2017 was 42,036 lives, a significant increase compared to 37,814 in the previous year.

A report published by the National Health Authority, CDC, revealed last November that suicides , deaths caused by drug overdose contributed to a decrease in life expectancy in the US, revealing and worrying. In 2017, it was reduced to an average of 78.6 years in comparison to 78.9 in 2014. The report points out that the third year in a row, the most widely used indicator for assessing the impact of national health and welfare programs has declined or remained unchanged after decades of improvement.

Rate Between 2015 and 2016, the number of deaths caused by synthetic opiates doubled. 2016 increased by 45%. Most deaths come from a new generation of drugs: synthetic opiates such as fentanyl, tens of times stronger than heroin with which the lowest dose may be lethal.

Not all countries equally affect this measure. The Center, from Texas to South Dakota, is relatively safe, according to the CDC. The crisis is emerging in the New Zealand region, in the north-eastern corner, where overdose deaths account for more than a quarter of organ donations that compete with traffic accidents.

It is also very powerful in two old industrial belt countries (Ohio and Pennsylvania) and especially in West Virginia.