August 1, 2024 — Even if you’ve vaguely paid attention to the news, you’re aware that the United States is in the middle of an opioid crisis.
Deaths from synthetic opioids (primarily fentanyl) have skyrocketed in the last decade to overtake all other sources of fatal drug overdoses, and now account for about 80,000 deaths a year, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Louisiana accounts for an outsized share of those deaths, ranking No. 3 in the country for fatal opioid overdoses.