Heritage Florida Jewish News - Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice

The CDC showed that the final 2020 overdose deaths in the United States exceeded 90,000, compared to 70,530 in 2019. It is the highest annual number on record, and the largest single-year percentage increase in the past 20 years.

Synthetic opioids (fentanyl) appear to be one of the reasons causing the increases in death, up 38.4 percent over the past year.

"We have seen an uptick in clients seeking help for drug and alcohol issues since the pandemic started. People are feeling a sense of isolation and increased stress during these times. The pandemic has fueled alcohol and drug use, and fentan...