Sasha Zitter

Sep 23, 2024 | kff.org | Heather Saunders |Nirmita Panchal |Sasha Zitter

Since the opioid epidemic was declared a public health emergency in 2017, it has claimed 454,464 lives, with opioid-related deaths rising by 67% between 2017 and 2023. Initially driven by prescription opioids and heroin, the epidemic has shifted in recent years, with illicit synthetic fentanyl—a substance 100 times more potent than morphine—now dominating most markets. Even a small amount of fentanyl can be lethal, and in 2023, 7 in 10 counterfeit opioid pills contained a deadly dose.