Opioids have been the cause of nearly 727 thousand overdose deaths in the United States. In fact, the number of deaths in 2022 was 10 times what it was in the late 90s. This September, however, NPR reported that for the first time in decades, public health data is showing an unprecedented drop in drug overdose deaths across the United States of over 10% — and around 8% here in Minnesota. So what happens when drugs that are designed to heal, contribute to a crisis? How have prescription opioids changed the drug landscape in the past 30 years? And what's different now?
