Opioids and substance use resources
Statistics
Opioid use on the rise
- The opioid epidemic began in the 1990s with the overprescribing of prescriptions to treat pain. This led to the abuse of opioids and the growing number of fatal and non-fatal overdoses we see today.
- Four Minnesotans die each day from drug overdoses.
- Minneapolis opioid deaths from 2021 to 2022 increased by 24%.
Read about fentanyl from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Read about Minnesota's opioid epidemic from the Minnesota Department of Health
Overdoses
Fatal opioid overdoses by year |
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Year | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Minnesota | 343 | 421 | 690 | 964 | 1,039 | 1,011 |
Minneapolis | 74 | 82 | 135 | 195 | 206 | 251 |
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Overall, opioid-involved deaths increased by 22% in Minneapolis from 2022 (206) to 2023 (251).
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Increase was driven by use of synthetic opioids (such as fentanyl) and psychostimulants (such as MDMA, meth), but likely a combination of both.
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In terms of race/ethnicity, the largest number of increases were seen among Black (53%) and Hispanic (79%) Minneapolis residents. Cases among American Indians remained level. However, rates for American Indians, Black, and Hispanic Minneapolis residents are 24.4, 5.8, and 2.27 times greater than among White residents, respectively.
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In terms of age, the bulk of cases (85%) is among those aged 25 – 64, with over 50% of those cases between the ages of 35 – 54. Increases were seen in all age groups except 25 -34.
Safe Stations
Contact us
Minneapolis Health Department
Phone
Address
Public Service Building
505 Fourth Ave. S., Room 520
Minneapolis, MN 55415