The number of deaths due to drug overdose in the US has increased by 4.6 percent between 2018 and 2019, preliminary data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed.
According to the data revealed n Wednesday, around 70,980 people in the US died from a drug overdose in 2019, up from 67,850 last year, reports Xinhua news agency.
Between January and April this year, drug overdose deaths rose by 11.4 percent, compared with the same period of 2019.
Opioids are the main factor behind drug overdose deaths, the CDC said.
Cocaine and psychostimulants accounted for 45.4 percent of the total in 2019, rising from 34.7 percent in 2017.
