• The United States hit a grim record of 106,699 drug overdose deaths in 2021, a 16% increase over 2020, the CDC said in its final report released this week.
• Fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid up to 50 times stronger than heroin, is driving the surge. Drug overdose deaths involving fentanyl jumped 22% in 2021, the CDC said. Heroin overdoses, meanwhile, decreased 32%.
• The CDC previously reported that as many as 107,000 drug overdose deaths occurred in 2021, but revised that number down slightly in their final tally after examining death records.

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