Opioid Overdose Deaths in the US, 1999-2005

"There can be no doubt, however, that fatal opioid overdose, long a chronic health problem in the United States, is now a rapidly growing one.⁷¹ National surveillance data suggest that almost 83,000 Americans died from this form of overdose between 1999 to 2005, with over 16,000 fatalities in 2005 alone.⁷² Opioid overdose death has seen a sharp increase over the last decade, especially in the category of overdose from prescription medications.⁷³ Because of gaps in the surveillance system, the actual figure is likely to be substantially higher."