The Massachusetts Department of Public Health released preliminary data Wednesday, May 12, that shows a five percent increase in opioid-related deaths in Massachusetts in 2020.
The 2,104 total opioid-related deaths in Massachusetts in 2020 is an increase of 102 deaths over the 2019 total, the first rise in three years. The previous peak in deaths was 2,102 in 2016.
The overall rate of deaths increased from 28.7 per 100,000 Massachusetts residents in 2019 to 30.2 per 100,000 in 2020.
Fentanyl, a powerful, synthetic opioid, was present in 92 percent of opioid-related deaths in Massachusetts in 2020 where a toxicology report was available.
Heroin or likely heroin shown in toxicology reports continued a decline that began in 2014 and was present in 14 percent of cases of opioid-related deaths.
In the first quarter of 2021, about 209,000 individuals in Massachusetts received prescriptions for Schedule II opioids. That represents a 46 percent decrease from the 390,532 who received a prescription in the first quarter of 2015.
Demographic Statistics
The data shows the largest increase in opioid-related deaths among Black non-Hispanic men, while the largest overall rate remains among Hispanic men.
Among Black non-Hispanic men the rate rose by 69 percent, from 32.6 to 55.1 per 100,000 people.
Among Asian Pacific Islander residents, there was a 27 percent increase in opioid-related deaths, rising from 2.6 to 3.3 per 100,000 residents.
The rate among Hispanic residents rose 9 percent, from 32.4 to 35.4 per 100,000. Hispanic men continue to have the highest rate of opioid-related deaths at 57.9 per 100,000.
The number of deaths decreased for white non-Hispanic men between 2019 and 2020, but increased for Black non-Hispanic, Hispanic, and white non-Hispanic women.
Men account for 73 percent of all opioid-related deaths in 2020.
Among age groups, 55 percent of deaths occurred in people between 25 and 44 years of age, while 36 percent were between 45 and 65 years old.
Nationwide Trends
Nationwide, preliminary data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] shows drug overdose deaths rose 29 percent between September 2019 and September 2020.
The 2020 opioid-related overdose death rate nationwide of 30.2 per 100,000 people is about 1 percent lower than 2016.
