Drug Overdose Deaths Are Up 19% In Wyoming

With the multiple drug possession case we have been having recently, and October as National Substance Abuse Prevention Month, this article is pretty fitting.

The analysts at QuoteWizard found that there has been a 19% increase in drug related overdose deaths in Wyoming over the last year - making us the 10th highest increase nationwide.

The number of overdose-related deaths has been rising steadily since 2015. However, the number increased greatly almost as soon as the COVID-19 pandemic began. Nationwide, 103,664 people died of an overdose in 2021, compared to 68,757 in 2019 and 99,973 in 2020, making it a 4% increase.

Alaska, New Hampshire, and Idaho are the top three states with the highest number of overdose deaths in the last year, with 44%, 26%, and 24% increase, respectively. Wyoming comes in the 10th spot, with a 19% increase, that is 115 people died of overdose deaths in the last year. To come in the last three places are Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia, with -9%, -15%, and -31% respectively.

35% of overdose deaths in 2021 are caused by Opioids, making it the leading cause of overdose deaths. The list is followed by Synthetic Opioids with 30%, Psychostimulants, with abuse potential at 15%, Cocaine at 11%, Natural and Semi-synthetic Opioid at 5%, Heroin at 3%, and Methadone at 1%.

 This dramatic rise in opioid-related overdose deaths hasn’t gone unnoticed. President Joe Biden recently unveiled a five-part plan to address the growing number of overdose deaths. One key component of the plan is a $125 billion expansion of prevention, treatment and recovery services. Health care coverage varies by state, but most health insurance plans cover substance abuse treatment.