Overdose deaths increase as life expectancy falls

Drug overdoses in Oklahoma increased again in 2016, and the situation could get much worse.

In Oklahoma, 813 people died from overdoses, a rate of 21.5 deaths for every 100,000 people last year.

Nationwide, 63,600 people died from overdoses in 2016, with 42,249 of those deaths tied to some form of opioids. That comes out to 19.8 deaths for every 100,000 people, more than triple the rate in 1999, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Projections from the Trust for America's Health warn that more people could die from overdoses in the future. Even the most optimistic scenario the report entertained shows deaths increasing, though at a slower rate than they have in recent years.

mwingerter@oklahoman.com

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