INCREASE IN FATAL DRUG OVERDOSES DURING PANDEMIC

Maryland is reporting an increase in fatal drug overdoses during the pandemic.  More than 27-hundred overdose deaths occurred over the course of 2020.  That’s over 16-percent more than the year before.  Opioids  —  especially fentanyl  —  were involved in about 90-percent of the fatal overdoses.  Governor Larry Hogan says 2020 was a challenging year for everyone, especially Marylanders suffering from substance abuse disorder.  He says the administration remains committed to combatting the opioid crisis.