More Deaths Related to Fentanyl Than COVID in Those Aged 18 to 45

Photo by Hal Gatewood on Unsplash

This is a shocking statistic.

While COVID-19 has taken over many of the headlines for the last two years, Fentanyl is far deadlier to those aged 18 to 45.

In the 18 to 45 age group, nearly 79,000 deaths have been attributed to Fentanyl between 2020 and 2021. That’s 26,000 more than the deaths for that same period attributed to COVID-19. 

Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, has been used to lace, marijuana, heroin, meth, and several other illicit drugs. The use of the drugs, which are smuggled into America from countries like Mexico and China, has increased as a result of the pandemic.

The isolation caused by lockdowns worsened the existing drug problem gripping the U.S. During the period of isolation, many U.S. adults turned to substances to cope. However, it seems as though it wasn’t only the isolation that led to overdoses but also the distribution of stimulus payments, with overdoses increasing with each stimulus payment.

Although the death rate is alarming, it reveals the extent of substance abuse usage among adults aged 18 to 45. The long-term effects could also be devastating. In a few decades, when the amount of Fentanyl-related deaths –– continuing on this trajectory –– has surpassed 350,000, the impact of Fentanyl will be more obvious. However, it will also be too late to take any decisive action. For that reason, policymakers should be spending as much time curbing drug use and import as they do on COVID-19.

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