Connecticut, like most states, has been experiencing a significant increase in accidental opioid overdose deaths. In Connecticut, there have been 1378 drug overdose fatalities in 2020, a 14.6% increase over the previous year. The data for 2021 is not yet finalized but is on track to exceed 2020 with 1,508 overdose deaths confirmed to date. Many of these overdose deaths involved the synthetic opioid, fentanyl, which is many times more powerful than heroin. In 2020 and 2021, 85% of overdose deaths involved fentanyl.
