Overdose deaths reach record high in 2017, fueled by opioids

WASHINGTON — Drug overdose deaths hit the highest level ever recorded in the United States last year, with an estimated 200 people dying per day, according to a report by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Most of that was the result of a record number of opioid-related deaths.

Preliminary figures show more than 72,000 people died in 2017 from drug overdoses across the country. About a week ago, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said overdose deaths, while still slowly rising, were beginning to level off.

The DEA’s National Drug Threat Assessment, released Friday, shows heroin, fentanyl and other opioids continue to be the highest drug threat in the nation.