Drug Overdose Deaths

Health
Written By Alysha Rashid

Drug overdose deaths, more likely in the face of extreme heat and other natural disasters, have increased over 500% since 1999, reaching at least 108,490 deaths in 2022.

Drug overdose deaths, U.S.

1999-2022

Sources: CDC/Wonder. Notes: 2022 data is provisional (p). AN=Alaska Native. Drug overdose deaths are identified using ICD–10 underlying cause-of-death codes: X40–X44, X60–X64, X85, and Y10–Y14. Rates are age-adjusted.

Natural disasters can cause huge shocks to the daily lives of Americans, adversely affecting housing, health, and an overall sense of security (Likelihood of Eviction/Foreclosure, Lack of Health Insurance, Anxiety/Depression). Studies found that opioid and substance abuse were more likely to increase in the aftermath of a natural disaster.1,2,3

Substance use can alter the body’s ability to regulate its temperature, and more frequent extreme weather temperatures further complicate the issue.[4] Multiple studies found that accidental overdose deaths related to cocaine usage — which can increase the body’s core temperature — were higher on hotter days.[5] Overdose deaths related to opioid usage – which can reduce the body’s temperature – has been evidenced to be higher on both hotter days and colder days.[6],[7],[8]

The number of drug overdose deaths in America rose dramatically from about 17,000 in 1999 to 70,000 in 2019 (pre-Covid), and then skyrocketed by 50% in just 2 years — reaching nearly 107,000 deaths in 2021. With 2022 data not yet final, deaths have increased yet again as the U.S. reached a high of 108,490 drug overdose deaths. West Virginia had by far the highest drug overdose death rate of all states.[9]

Between 2002 and 2019, drug overdose death rates were highest among American Indians and white Americans but, since 2020, the rate of drug overdose deaths among Black Americans has surpassed the rate of white Americans.[10] Supplemental funding for federal programs like the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant are crucial for states and local governments to mitigate the looming effects of climate on the overdose crisis.[11]

  1. McCann-Pineo, M., Taioli, E., & Schwartz, R. M. (2021). Exposure to Hurricane Sandy and Risk of Opioid Abuse. Substance Use & Misuse, 56(8), 1241–1245. https://doi.org/10.1080/10826084.2021.1912098

  2. Shuler, M., Suzuki, S., Podesta, A., Qualls-Hampton, R., & Wallington, S. F. (2017). A Post-Hurricane Katrina Examination of Substance Abuse Treatment Discharges With Co-Occurring Psychiatric and Substance Use Disorders. Journal of Dual Diagnosis, 13(2), 144–156. https://doi.org/10.1080/15504263.2016.1277816

  3. Parks, R. M. (2023, September 22). Elevated Temperatures and Climate Change May Contribute to Rising Drug and Alcohol Disorders. Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. https://www.publichealth.columbia.edu/news/elevated-temperatures-climate-change-may-contribute-rising-drug-alcohol-disorders

  4. Sprague, J. E., Riley, C. L., & Mills, E. M. (2018). Chapter 36 - Body temperature regulation and drugs of abuse. Science Direct, 157, 623–633. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-444-64074-1.00036-7

  5. Auger, N., Bilodeau-Bertrand, M., Labesse, M. E., & Kosatsky, T. (2017). Association of elevated ambient temperature with death from cocaine overdose. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 178, 101–105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2017.04.019

  6. Kurz, A., Go, J. C., Sessler, D. I., Kaer, K., Larson, M. D., & Bjorksten, A. R. (1995). Alfentanil Slightly Increases the Sweating Threshold and Markedly Reduces the Vasoconstriction and Shivering Thresholds. Anesthesiology, 83(2), 293–299. https://doi.org/10.1097/00000542-199508000-00009

  7. Goedel, W. C., Marshall, B. D. L., Spangler, K. R., Alexander-Scott, N., Green, T. C., Wellenius, G. A., & Weinberger, K. R. (2019). Increased Risk of Opioid Overdose Death Following Cold Weather. Epidemiology, 30(5), 637–641. https://doi.org/10.1097/ede.0000000000001041

  8. Ryus, C., & Bernstein, S. L. (2022). A New Syndemic: Complications of Opioid Use Disorder During a Heat Wave. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 33(3), 1671–1677. https://doi.org/10.1353/hpu.2022.0092

  9. Author’s analysis of data from: National Center for Health Statistics Mortality Data on CDC WONDER. (n.d.). U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://wonder.cdc.gov/mcd.html

  10. CDC WONDER. (2020). National Drug Overdose (OD) Deaths, 1999-2020. https://www.google.com/url?q=https://nida.nih.gov/sites/default/files/Overdose_data_1999-2020_1.5.22.xlsx&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1706577394238866&usg=AOvVaw3VoB1Ob1CDiU-pIvhoJaUi 

  11. National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors. (2020, December). Policy Brief: Disasters and Substance Use. https://nasadad.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Policy-brief_-Disasters-and-Substance-Use.pdf

Alysha Rashid
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