In the wake of the opioid crisis, the opioid overdose death rate is at a record high, according to a new national study released Tuesday.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that more than 2,700 Americans died from opioid overdoses in 2017.
The number of opioid-related deaths in 2017 was the highest since the agency began tracking them in 2016.
There were 2,717 opioid-associated deaths in the U.K. and Ireland in 2017, compared to 1,822 deaths in 2016 and 1,663 in 2015.
Here’s what you need read more: The rate of opioid deaths has nearly tripled since 2016, with the number of overdose deaths reaching a record 6,856.
A total of 6,965 people died from overdoses in 2016, up from 6,613 in 2015, the report says.
This trend is mirrored in many other countries, including Australia, Canada, France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
Canada saw a jump of more than 8,000 opioid-induced deaths between 2016 and 2017.
A majority of the deaths were attributed to prescription opioid medication, including fentanyl, which is used to treat opioid addiction.
According to the CDC, more than half of opioid overdose cases were reported to the National Poison Data System, the national database for poisoning.
The numbers of deaths from prescription opioids have also soared since 2016.
Since 2016, more prescription opioids were prescribed to Americans than non-prescription drugs.
The report says the number has risen steadily over the past decade, and is expected to continue rising in coming years.
There are also many reports of patients using prescription opioids in states that have legalized medical marijuana, such as Colorado and Washington.
There is no specific antidote for the opioid epidemic, which has killed more than 11,700 people since 2014, according the CDC.
