According to new government data, deaths occurring at work caused by alcohol and drug overdoses increased by more than 30% in 2016. This statistic is indicative of a much larger problem with drug overdose deaths. Last year, per estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, deaths by drug overdose were in excess of 64,000. John Deskins, economist working at West Virginia University notes: “The surge in deaths, the abuse and the way in which this has turned into a crisis which encompasses so many elements, it’s not at all surprising this crisis has migrated.”
See Harriet Torry, Drug and Alcohol Deaths at U.S. Workplaces Soar, Wall Street Journal, December 19, 2017.
