• Most (79%) drug deaths were caused by two or more drugs. The average cause of death involved three drugs.

• The vast majority of overdoses (84%) were caused by at least one opioid, including both pharmaceutical and illicit (non-pharmaceutical) opioid drugs.

• Fentanyl (and/or its analogs) caused 61% of deaths, alone or in combination with other drugs, up from 52% in 2016. 

• Heroin caused 22% of deaths, alone or in combination with other drugs, down from 32% in 2016.