In 2017, 11.4 million Americans aged 12 or older misused opioids. The vast majority misused prescription pain relievers.
It was also the worst year for drug overdose deaths in U.S. history. More than 72,000 people died of overdoses — and two-thirds of those deaths were linked directly to opioids.
That means nearly 140 people died every day from a prescription or illicit opioid overdose.
The economic toll of opioid crisis is believed to have exceeded $1 trillion from 2001 to 2017.
