Population Health Research Brief Series

Rates of fatal drug overdose increased 250% in the U.S. between 1999 and 2017, due in large part to a massive surge in overdoses involving opioids. However, there is substantial geographic variation in fatal opioid overdoses, and prescription opioids, heroin, and fentanyl are differentially responsible for high overdose rates across different parts of the U.S. This research brief summarizes the findings from a study just published in the American Journal of Public Health. The study shows that there are at least four geographically distinct opioid overdose crises in the U.S.