U.S., Arizona logged record drug overdose deaths in 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought dozens of issues to light, but it also exacerbated a growing problem in the U.S. and in Arizona.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released its annual report on drug overdose deaths in 2020, and the data, perhaps unsurprisingly, set records. The U.S. recorded a high of 93,000 deaths last year, a 29% increase over the 72,000 reported the year before. The 21,000 increase is the biggest jump since the count rose by 11,000 in 2016.

In Arizona, where the state’s proximity to the border provides additional access to illegal substances, approximately 2,644 drug overdose deaths were counted by December 2020, up from 1,981 in Dec. 2019 — a 33.5% increase.