EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – The latest data on drug overdose deaths shows a 10-percent increase year-over-year in Texas but a slight decline in New Mexico.
A total of 5,347 people died of an overdose in Texas in the last 12 months, according to a study conducted by Quote Wizard.
Meanwhile, New Mexico saw a four-percent decrease compared to the previous 12-month period. A total of 984 people reportedly died of a drug overdose in the past year in New Mexico, based on the findings of the study.
The report concluded that approximately 70-percent of drug-related deaths nationwide could be attributed to opioids – both synthetic (or semi-synthetic) and natural.
Drug abuse continues to be a huge issue nationally with overdose deaths rising by more than 50-percent since 2019. The U.S. saw 107,477 people die in the last year from an overdose, according to the latest data available, and researchers fear that figure could potentially rise to 110,000 or more in the near future.
Maine witnessed the highest-percentage increase in overdose deaths in the past year with a 24-percent jump.
Maryland managed to see a 12-percent decline in overdoses in the same period, which was the largest decrease based on percentage in the entire country.
