The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today announced that an average of nine North Carolinians died each day from a drug overdose in 2020, a 40% increase from the previous year.
"A single life lost to an overdose is a life we should have saved. Stress, loss of housing and loss of employment for those in recovery caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a backslide in our fight against substance use disorders," said NCDHHS Secretary Kody H. Kinsley. "Improving behavioral health and resilience is a top priority for NCDHHS, and we will rally our community partners and our team to meet these new challenges as we focus on saving lives, prevention and the lasting supports needed for long-term recovery, including increasing the number of people with health insurance."
This stark increase during 2020 aligns with the increases experienced nationwide with the nation exceeding 100,000 deaths. In North Carolina, the number of drug overdose deaths — from illicit substances and/or medications — increased by nearly 1,000 deaths, from 2,352 in 2019 to 3,304 in 2020. There were also nearly 15,000 emergency department visits related to drug overdoses in 2020. Provisional surveillance data suggest these increases continued through 2021. Both overdose deaths and the increases disproportionally affect historically marginalized populations.
