Drug overdose deaths rise significantly in past 5 years

A lot of pills and capsules (iStock)

CONCORD, N.H. – Drug overdose deaths have increased by 33 percent in the past five years across the country, with some states seeing jumps of nearly 200 percent.

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 30 states saw increases in overdose deaths resulting from the abuse of heroin and prescription painkillers, a class of drugs known as opioids. New Hampshire saw a 191 percent increase while North Dakota, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Maine had death rates jump by over 100 percent.

Last year, more than 52,000 people died from drug overdoses, with almost two-thirds involving prescription or illegal opioids. Sixteen states saw a jump in deaths from synthetic opioids including illicit fentanyl, with New York (135.7 percent) and Connecticut (125.9 percent) the hardest hit.