Opioid Overdoses Have Shaved 2.5 Months Off Americans’ Life Expectancy

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Opioid overdoses reduced Americans’ life expectancy by 2.5 months between 2000 and 2015, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

During that period, U.S. life expectancy increased overall from almost 77 years to 79 years, as deaths from major killers such as cancer and heart disease decreased, HealthDay reports. But during that period, the death rate from drug overdoses more than doubled, and the death rate from opioid overdoses—including heroin and prescription opioids—more than tripled. By the final year of the study, Americans’ average life expectancy began to decrease again.