Drug Overdose Now Leading Cause of Injury-Related Deaths

Drug overdose deaths continue to increase in the United States and are now the leading cause of deaths from injury in the United States, a new report shows.

Every year, nearly 44,000 people die from drug overdoses. Deaths due to drug overdose have more than doubled in the past 14 years, and half of them are related to prescription drugs (22,000 per year), the report shows.

During the past 4 years, the number of overdose deaths rose significantly in 26 states and Washington, DC, and decreased in only six states. In 36 states and Washington, DC, overdose deaths now exceed motor vehicle–related deaths.

The findings from The Facts Hurt: A State-By-State Injury Prevention Policy Report were released today by the Trust for America's Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The report was developed in partnership with leading injury prevention experts from the Safe States Alliance and the Society for the Advancement of Violence and Injury Prevention (SAVIR).

Prescription drug abuse is a "national epidemic," Jeffrey Levi, PhD, TFAH executive director, said during a media briefing, but it affects some states much more than others. West Virginia has the highest number of drug overdose deaths (33.5 per 100,000), and North Dakota, the lowest (2.6 per 100,000).

"More than two million Americans misuse prescription drugs. The prescription drug epidemic is also contributing to an increase in heroin use," noted Corrine Peek-Asa, PhD, MPH, professor and associate dean for research, College of Public Health, University of Iowa, in Iowa City.

She noted that 34 states and Washington, DC, now have "rescue drug" laws in place to expand access to and use of naloxone (multiple brands) - twice the number of states with these laws in 2013. Although every state except Missouri has some form of prescription drug monitoring program in place to help reduce doctor shopping and misprescribing, only 25 states require mandatory use by health providers in at least some circumstances.

Other key findings in the "Facts Hurt" report include the following:

During the past 4 years, injury death rates have increased significantly in 17 states, have remained stable in 24 states, and have decreased in nine states. The national rate is 58.4 per 100,000 people.

West Virginia has the highest number of injury-related deaths of any state (97.9 per 100,000), a rate more than twice that of the state with the lowest rate, New York (40.3 per 100,000).

Motor vehicle death rates have declined 25% in the past decade (to 33,000 per year); 21 states have drunk driving laws that require ignition interlocks for all offenders; most states have graduated drivers licenses that restrict times when teens can drive; 10 states restrict nighttime driving for teens starting at 10 pm; and 35 states and Washington, DC, require car safety or booster seats for children up to the age of 8 years.