Opioid Deaths Decline in US for Third Year: What Does It Mean for Homebuyers? The opioid crisis has ravaged communities across the United States, leaving a trail of devastation and economic disruption in its wake.
The epidemic began to take shape in the early 2000s, with a marked increase in prescription opioid use and abuse.
As the crisis deepened, heroin and fentanyl became increasingly prevalent, leading to a sharp spike in overdose deaths. Between 1999 and 2018, over 500,000 deaths were attributed to opioid overdose.