New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that — for the first time in any 12-month period — more than 100,000 Americans are estimated to have died from drug overdoses during the year ending April 2021.
The people who died — 275 every day — would fill the stadium where the University of Alabama plays football.
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) November 17, 2021
There are now more overdose deaths from the illegal synthetic opioid fentanyl than there were overdose deaths from any drug in 2016. https://t.co/jIVd0nhLau pic.twitter.com/cKwrhC5Vru
Coinciding with the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic, the tragic record-setting data means an average of 275 Americans died every day from April 2020 to April 2021, almost 29 percent more deaths than the previous year.
According to reporting from US News and World Report:
Opioids – encompassing drugs including heroin and the highly potent fentanyl – remain the leading cause of drug overdose death, accounting for more than 75% of deaths during the time frame. Opioid-related deaths rose by 35% over comparative 12-month periods, from an estimated 56,064 as of April 2020 to 75,673 in the period ending in April 2021.
Overdose deaths from synthetic opioids – primarily fentanyl – as well as from psychostimulants such as methamphetamine also increased over the 12-month period, according to the CDC, as did deaths from natural and semisynthetic opioids such as prescription pain medication and from cocaine.
A majority of those deaths were fueled by opioids, including dangerous drug fentanyl that has continued to stream into the United States as a result of the Biden administration's open border policies — something Republican Senator Josh Hawley (MO) called out on Twitter.
Joe Biden’s open borders policies have devastating consequences - Fentanyl is flooding our neighborhoods and schools as it pours over the southern border https://t.co/fz9RbBKZVQ
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) November 17, 2021
The spike in overdose deaths came during Wuhan coronavirus lockdowns and other restrictions. Individuals in treatment for drug use faced interruptions in their routine. Most Americans were stuck at home for months on end. People were isolated from their families, friends, and normal support systems. Millions lost their jobs or faced endless hours of working from home.
For his part, President Biden released a statement calling the record-setting data "a tragic milestone" and an "epidemic of loss" but failed to mention any action his administration would take to address the border crisis or stop the record high amounts of fentanyl that continue to come across the U.S.-Mexico border.
NEW: Pres. Biden releases statement after U.S. surpasses 100,000 overdose deaths in one year: "My administration is committed to doing everything in our power to address addiction and end the overdose epidemic." https://t.co/og5QbEwP9z pic.twitter.com/0yQl6aM8FH
— ABC News (@ABC) November 17, 2021
Senator Tom Cotton also highlighted the Biden administration's warped priorities:
Record spike in murder, overdose deaths, and illegal immigration—the Biden Administration does nothing.
— Tom Cotton (@TomCottonAR) November 17, 2021
But parents protesting at school board meetings?
Merrick Garland sends in the FBI's Counterterrorism Division.
Garland will be held accountable for this.