Death Tolls Rise Due To Drug Overdoses Amidst COVID-19 Pandemic

Shannon Monnat, associate professor of sociology in the Maxwell School and Lerner Chair for Public Health Promotion, was quoted by BBC News for the piece, “US annual drug overdose deaths hit record levels.”

U.S. death tolls due to drug overdoses reached an all-time high over the last year amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Monnat explained, “Even after Covid is over, overdoses will likely continue to increase. We have to attack this crisis from multiple angles. But beyond this, we need to recognize that the increase in drug use disorders over the past 20 to 30 years is a symptom of much larger social and economic problems.”