WFTX — Drug overdose deaths in the U.S. are reaching record numbers.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says thousands are overdosing during the pandemic.
It's estimated that more than 91,000 people died of an overdose between October 2019 and October 2020; the highest number of deaths in a 12-month period since the CDC started tracking in 1999.
Experts believe this epidemic was triggered by increased use and abuse of opioid painkillers.
The CDC predicts more than 68,000 deaths were related to opioids.
