(Atlanta, GA, Wednesday, November 10, 2021) – Drug overdoses have claimed nearly 900,000 lives in the United States over the past 20 years, and recent studies show that drug overdose deaths have accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic, outpacing overdose death rates from any previous year.

To save more lives from drug overdose, the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Center for Injury Prevention and Control launched four complementary education campaigns that aim to reach young adults ages 18 to 34 who use drugs, as well as their friends and family.

Christopher M. Jones, PharmD, DrPH, MPH, acting director of CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, discusses the campaigns that promote actions young adults can take to help reduce their risk of overdose.

SOUNDBITE #1:

TO SAVE MORE LIVES FROM DRUG OVERDOSE, WE LAUNCHED FOUR EDUCATION CAMPAIGNS THAT AIM TO REACH PEOPLE WHO USE DRUGS. THE CAMPAIGNS PROVIDE CRITICAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE DANGERS OF FENTANYL, THE RISKS AND CONSEQUENCES OF MIXING DRUGS, THE LIFE-SAVING POWER OF NALOXONE TO HELP REVERSE AN OPIOID OVERDOSE, AND THE IMPORTANCE OF REDUCING STIGMA TO SUPPORT TREATMENT AND RECOVERY.

SOUNDBITE #2:

WE SPOKE DIRECTLY WITH YOUNG ADULTS WHO REPORTED USING DRUGS, AS WELL AS RECOVERY PROFESSIONALS, TO DEVELOP THE CAMPAIGNS. EACH CAMPAIGN INCLUDES RESOURCES TO HELP PEOPLE MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS, GET THE HELP THEY NEED, AND ULTIMATELY REDUCE THE RISE IN DRUG OVERDOSES AND OVERDOSE DEATHS. THIS CRITICAL INFORMATION CAN HELP ALL OF US SAVE A LIFE FROM OVERDOSE AND SUPPORT PEOPLE WHO USE DRUGS IN TREATMENT AND RECOVERY.

To learn more about CDC’s drug overdose prevention efforts, visit cdc.gov/stopoverdose.