The “Drug Czar” Says Overdose Deaths Were Already Rising Before Pandemic and Now Are Spiking—The Ultimate Blame Belongs to Prohibition

Jeffrey A. SingerWhite House “drug czar” Jim Carroll toldPolitico earlier this week that an Office of National Drug Control Policy analysis finds an 11.4 percent year ‐​over‐​year increase in opioid‐​related overdose deaths during the first four months of 2020. Kentucky has seen a 25 percent increase in overdose deaths during the first four months of this year, and West Virginia saw a 50 percent increase in deaths since the beginning of the year. The data are incomplete at this point, and not all states have reported in.Mr. Carroll attributed much of the increase in the overdose rate to anxiety, social isolation, and depression resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. But he also noted that, after a one ‐​year pause in 2017, the overdose death rate resumed its climb inlate 2018 and 2019. And methamphetamine ‐​related deaths have been surging for the past few years.Research has shown that overdose deaths from the non ‐​medical use of licit or illicit drugs have been on a steady exponential increase since at least the late 1970s —with different drugs predominating at different periods. And there is no evidence the trend is slowing.While it remains popular to attribute the opioid ‐​related overdose crisis to doctors prescribing pain relievers to patients, the evidenceshows there is no correlation between prescription volume and the non ‐​medical opioid use or opioid use disorder.To be sure, the COVID-19 pandemic is exac...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - Category: American Health Authors: Source Type: blogs