(NewsNation) — A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed drug overdoses caused by fentanyl mixed with stimulants rose significantly between 2011 and 2021.
The agency examined data for overdoses involving cocaine and psychostimulants, a category that includes methamphetamine and closely related drugs.
They found overdoses involving cocaine increased nearly five times between 2011 and 2021. While non-opioid-related cocaine deaths also increased, it was at a much slower rate than overdoses involving cocaine mixed with opioids.
Overdose deaths from cocaine alone increased 2.1 times during the time period, while the number of deaths from cocaine mixed with opioids in 2021 was 7.4 times that of deaths in 2011.
Between 2011 and 2016, deaths involving psychostimulants alone were higher than deaths from those drugs mixed with opioids. Between 2017 and 2021, however, psychostimulants mixed with opioids accounted for more overdose deaths than psychostimulants alone.
Public health officials have warned of the dangers of fentanyl being mixed with other drugs, often without the consumer being aware as law enforcement continues efforts to track down on drug trafficking in the U.S.