Methamphetamine-Related Mortality in the United States: Co-Involvement of Heroin and Fentanyl, 1999–2021

Abstract

Objectives. To examine trends in methamphetamine-related mortality in the United States from 1999 to 2021 and the extent to which these deaths co-involved heroin or fentanyl. Methods. We obtained final and provisional data from the CDC WONDER (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wide-ranging ONline Data for Epidemiologic Research) multiple causes of death database for deaths that involved methamphetamine and deaths that involved both methamphetamine and heroin or fentanyl mong US residents aged 15 to 74 years. We plotted the age-adjusted methamphetamine-related mortality rate by year and quantified the proportion of deaths with heroin or fentanyl co-involvement. Finally, we used joinpoint regression to quantify trends in the methamphetamine mortality rate and proportion of deaths with heroin or fentanyl co-involvement. Results. From 1999 to 2021, there was a 50-fold increase in the methamphetamine mortality rate, which was accompanied by an increasing proportion of deaths that co-involved heroin or fentanyl, peaking at 61.2% in 2021. Conclusions. Unprecedented increases in methamphetamine-related mortality have occurred during the last decade, and an increasing proportion of these deaths co-involved heroin or fentanyl. Public Health Implications. Stark increases in methamphetamine-related mortality and heroin or fentanyl co-involvement warrant robust harm reduction efforts, especially for people who engage in polysubstance use. (Am J Public Health. 2023;113(4):416–419. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2022.307212 )