According to preliminary data released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Wednesday, more than 109,000 Americans died of overdoses from drugs during the 12 months ending in January 2023.

This is a slightly higher number than the previous year. The total is 0.7% higher than the 107,764 overdoses documented in the 12 months ending in January 2022, according to data from the United States.

This rise occurs despite the Biden administration’s efforts to combat drug addiction and fatalities.

In May, the Biden administration sanctioned 17 Chinese and Mexican individuals, along with organizations for allegedly facilitating the manufacturing of fake fentanyl-laced tablets. The illicit use of fentanyl has an outsized role in the opioid epidemic and drug overdoses in the United States.

The death toll from drug overdoses in America surpassed 100,000 for the first time in 2021, as the COVID epidemic disrupted medical care and exacerbated mental health issues.

The effect was made worse by the pervasive availability of deadly drugs such as fentanyl, which is more than 50 times more potent than heroin and frequently mixed with other illegal substances.

Tom Britton, chief executive officer of the American Addiction Centers, stated during the global epidemic, rates of mental illness, anxiety, and depression skyrocketed. Also, an increasing number of people turned to drugs.

The rate of drug overdose fatalities in the United States increased by 13.7% between January 2021 and January 2022. It also went up by 31.4% during the previous 12 months at the height of the epidemic.

However, the increase in overdose fatalities began prior to the onset of the pandemic, due to the abuse of prescribed opioid pain relievers and illicit drugs, such as heroin.

According to Stacey McKenna, a senior associate at the R Street Institute, an independent think tank in Washington, D.C., the government’s clampdown on fentanyl and other addictive substances may be having the opposite intended effect.

McKenna said there is an iron law of prohibition, which states the stricter you are with the supply, the more inclined you are to obtain a more potent or hazardous supply.

The CDC noted the most recent estimates include understating and cases still under investigation.