In 2021, the United States recorded a record more than 107,000 overdose deaths

The United States counted some 107,000 overdose deaths in 2021, a 15% increase from the previous year and a grim new record, according to preliminary data released Wednesday, May 11 by American health authorities.

These figures mean that one person dies from an overdose every 5 minutes in the country.

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Of those deaths, more than 70,000 are linked to synthetic opiates like fentanyl, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

This is followed by stimulants such as methamphetamine (more than 30,000 deaths), cocaine (nearly 25,000), and natural or semi-synthetic opiates such as heroin (about 13,000).

Several drugs can be involved in a death.

An increase of 15% compared to 2020

The United States had for the first time exceeded the symbolic bar of 100,000 overdose deaths over 12 months in April 2021. The 15% increase recorded for the year 2021 is however less than the 30% increase which had been recorded. between 2019 and 2020. The US opioid crisis has been worsened by the Covid-19 pandemic, which has increased the isolation of some populations, experts say.

The biggest increase in 2021 was seen in Alaska, where deaths increased by more than 75%.

Fentanyl, highly addictive and cheap to manufacture, is increasingly being mixed by traffickers with other drugs, according to the US drug enforcement agency, the DEA.

It is also added to counterfeit pills for sale on the internet -- for example painkillers.

At the end of April, Joe Biden's government announced an action plan to combat this crisis, focusing on two aspects: more care for dependent people, and the fight against drug trafficking.

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In particular, the US government wishes to emphasize so-called "

" practices, such as the distribution of naloxone (an antidote capable of resuscitating a person in the process of overdosing), tests to verify the presence or absence of of fentanyl, or programs for exchanging used needles with clean ones.

He also wants to improve access to treatment (methadone, buprenorphine, etc.).

“

,” promised in April during a press conference Dr. Rahul Gupta, director of the office in charge of the fight against drugs at the White House.