Drug Overdose Deaths Continued to Rise in 2010, Driven by Opioids

Why it matters locally: Vermont, like other states, would have been affected by this national trend in opioid-related overdose deaths during 2010, contributing to a growing public health crisis that would later prompt increased scrutiny of prescription practices and pain management protocols.

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Atlanta – Drug overdose deaths in the United States increased for the 11th straight year in 2010, according to research released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The findings, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), detailed the continuous rise in fatalities attributed to drug overdoses. The CDC analysis, titled "Pharmaceutical Overdose Deaths, United States, 2010," presented data on the rate of overdoses throughout the year. The agency gave no further explanation about the specific data within the journal article or the reasons for the increase in overdose deaths.