Drug overdose deaths in Pennsylvania remain at significantly higher rates than the national average, a new study released Tuesday by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention found.
In 2012, 2,365 people overdosed and died in the Keystone State, according to CDC data. Breaking it down by population, that's 18.5 citizens per 100,000.
Nationally, the overdose rate in 2012 rested at 13.1 per 100,000 people.
Opioids like heroin, methadone and oxycodone, have been the major antagonist for drug overdoses in Pennsylvania and across the country.
Heroin-related deaths in the U.S. more than tripled over the past decade growing to 5,925 in 2012 from 1,960 in 1999. Overall, drug overdoses more than doubled jumping to 41,502 in 2012 from 16,849 back in 1999, according to the report.
The report also stated that of the 2012 drug-related deaths, 16,007 involved opioid analgesics — the formal name for synthetic opioids like oxycodone.
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Pennsylvania was among 14 states that had age-adjusted drug-poisoning death rates above the national average, according to the report. The states with the highest rates per 100,000 population were West Virginia (32.0), Kentucky (25.0), New Mexico (24.7), Utah (23.1), and Nevada (21.0).
High overdose deaths are not new for Pennsylvania. The rate in 2011 was 18 people per 100,000 and hasn't been equal with the current national average since 2006.
Click here to see the full report.
