WASHINGTON, D.C. ― Today the U.S. Sentencing Commission released a new study of Overdoses in Federal Drug Trafficking Crimes covering a five-year period from fiscal year 2019 to 2023. Key takeaways from the Commission’s report:
Prevalence and Outcomes
- Overdoses were involved in less than 2% of the federal drug trafficking cases studied but their prevalence increased by 44% from fiscal years 2019 to 2023.
- Fentanyl and its analogues were involved in 80% of the overdose cases studied.
- Nearly two-thirds (65%) of the victims in this study suffered a fatal overdose.