Opioid-Related Overdose Deaths On The Rise In MA

Boston MA

13 November, 2021

1:19 PM

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BOSTON, MA — Opioid-related overdose deaths in Massachusetts have increased slightly in the first nine moths of 2021, according to data released Wednesday by the Department of Public Health. Since January, there have been 1,613 confirmed and estimated opioid-related overdose deaths, approximately 21 more deaths than in the first nine months of 2021, or a 1 percent increase, said the DPH. "Prior to the pandemic, opioid-related overdose death rates in Massachusetts had been stable. Unfortunately, the pandemic exacerbated the opioid crisis, particularly in communities of color which have also been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19," said Acting Public Health Commissioner Margret Cooke in a statement. "Our goal is to reverse this troubling trend by continuing to build on our aggressive, data- and equity-based public health approach to prevention, intervention, treatment, and recovery." According to the data, fentanyl is still the main driver of overdose deaths and was found in 92 percent of cases with a toxicology report. Cocaine use has also spiked since 2020, making it the second most prevalent drug among opioid-related overdose deaths. It was found in 52 percent of toxicology reports in the first six months of 2021, which is a 13 percent increase since 2020. The DPH data shows that Black, non-Hispanic men made up the largest increase in opioid overdose death rates. Overall, men comprised 73 percent of all opioid-related overdose deaths in 2020 and the overdose death rate among women increased by 15 percent between 2019 and 2020. "The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated substance misuse not only in Massachusetts, but across the country," said Gov. Charlie Baker in a statement. "Our Administration has continued to tackle both the opioid epidemic and the COVID-19 pandemic with a focus on equity." Despite the grim news, Massachusetts is still among the states with the smallest increases in all drug overdose deaths between March 2020 and March 2021. In addition, there has been an increase in state and federal funding to help tackle the opioid crisis. According to Baker's office, the fiscal year 2022 budget includes a total investment of $408 million across state agencies to address substance abuse, a 22% increase over last fiscal year and an increase of $288.8 million since 2015. "As the commonwealth emerges from the pandemic, we must engage with trusted community-based health care providers to provide culturally responsive support and treatment," said Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders in a statement. The full DPH report released Wednesday is available here.