About 15,000 more Americans died from drug overdoses in 2021 than in the previous year; the 2020 total was a record at the time.
A majority of the overdoses reported during the period involved synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, according to the report.
Overdose deaths increased in 46 states compared to the year before, with Alaska having the largest annual increase, up 78 percent from October 2020. Delaware, Hawaii, New Hampshire and Wyoming saw year-over-year decreases in overdose deaths.
