To read the Families Against Fentanyl article, please click here.
A new analysis by Families Against Fentanyl has found that synthetic opioid (fentanyl) deaths among children 14 and under are increasing at a faster rate than any other age group in the United States, and more than tripled in just two years. FAF’s new issue brief, entitled “The Changing Faces of Fentanyl Deaths” is based on the non-profit organization’s analysis of data from the Center for Disease Control on synthetic opioid (fentanyl) poisoning fatalities.
Fentanyl Deaths Among Children Are Rising Faster Than Any Other Age Group
Synthetic opioid (fentanyl) fatalities among children aged 14 and under are rising faster than any other age group, and more than tripled in just two years.
Fentanyl deaths among infants increased twice as fast as overall U.S. fentanyl deaths in the two years from 2019 to 2021 (the latest year for which CDC data is available).
Nationally, fentanyl deaths doubled in the two years from 2019 to 2021. However, in the same period, deaths among infants to 1 year olds quadrupled, deaths among 1 to 4 year olds more than tripled, and deaths among 5 to 14 year olds nearly quadrupled.
Since 2015, synthetic opioid (fentanyl) deaths among infants increased nearly 10 fold, and 15 fold among children ages 1 to 14: an increase of more than 1,400%.
Nearly All U.S. Fentanyl Deaths Are Unintentional Poisonings
In 2000, more than one in four synthetic opioid (fentanyl) fatalities were determined to be suicide (26.5%).
In 2021, less than one percent of these fatalities were caused by suicide.
Comments (0)