Drug overdoses have accelerated over the past two decades, and in 2017, the United States Department of Health and Human Services deemed the opioid crisis a public health emergency. In April of 2021, the U.S. surpassed 100,000 drug overdose deaths for the preceding 12-month period, marking a nearly 29% increase from the previous 12-months. This milestone is 80% higher than the number of deaths for the same period five years prior.[1] The overdose epidemic has been fueled by the rapid rise in the use of synthetic opioids, such as illegally made fentanyl, as well as by psychostimulants like cocaine
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