The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org. July 15, 2021 U.S. Drug Overdose Deaths Rose by 30% in 2020 to Record High ------------------------------------------------------------ The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says U.S. drug overdose deaths skyrocketed to a record 93,000 last year - a nearly 30% increase - as the pandemic took hold. That's the largest one-year increase ever recorded. Overdoses rose in 48 of 50 states, fueled by methamphetamine and powerful opioids, including fentanyls. Overdoses accounted for more deaths in 2020 than car crashes, gun violence and HIV/AIDS combined. .