CDC: Drug overdose deaths reach record high

(CNN) - Annual drug overdose deaths have reached another record high in the United States.

There were an estimated 105,000 drug overdose deaths in the 12-month period ending October 2021, according to preliminary data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

During that period, about two-thirds of the overdose deaths in the U.S. involved synthetic opioids, like fentanyl. It’s a stronger and faster-acting drug than natural opiates.

Over the past two years, the number of overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids has nearly doubled.