Sen. Markey Calls For Action After Report States 93,000 Americans Died From Drug Overdoses in 2020

In full transparency, the following is a media release from Sen. Ed Markey , who was elected by voters in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to serve the state in Washington DC in the US Senate. He is a Democrat. (stock photo)

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WASHINGTON DC – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Commission on Synthetic Opioid Trafficking, released the following statement after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced today that deaths from drug overdoses have skyrocketed during the coronavirus pandemic.

In new data released today, July 14, the CDC reports that more than 93,000 Americans lost their lives to drug overdoses in 2020, the highest toll ever in a given year.

Prior state data showed that in 2020, fentanyl was involved in nine out of ten overdose deaths in Massachusetts.

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“The coronavirus pandemic was not the only public health emergency that devastated our country last year,” said Senator Markey. “The opioid epidemic, fueled by fentanyl, took lives and livelihoods at a historic level. We need a national treatment plan for the opioid epidemic.”

“We must prevent dependence and addiction before they take hold, break down barriers to effective treatment, and stop the flow of fentanyl across our borders. We must also maintain pandemic flexibilities afforded to behavioral health providers, including on the number of patients a provider can treat with medication assisted treatment, mainstreaming mental and behavioral health care, and addressing underlying factors in substance use, such as poverty and joblessness. The American Rescue Plan provided billions in additional funding to address the addiction and mental health crisis exacerbated by COVID-19, but Congress must pass smart policy to not only keep essential and lifesaving programs afloat, but to expand access to treatment across Massachusetts and our country and reduce the importation of illicit fentanyl,” said Senator Markey.