Drug overdoses are skyrocketing across the U.S., prompting multiple states and the Department of Health and Human Services to issue emergency declarations. Provisional data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control estimate that drug overdoses are now responsible for at least 66,000 deaths annually (more than three times higher than in 1999) and are the leading cause of death among Americans under age 50. Drugs now kill more people in the U.S. each year than either car accidents or guns.
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