COVID-19 pandemic hit, quickly triggering new monthly spikes in overdose deaths.What is driving the carnage? Experts point to the brutal impacts of the pandemic itself.
Public orders to socially distance and self-isolate drove many addicts indoors, where they were using alone.Using risky street drugs alone — laced with deadly fentanyl — is particularly hazardous for anyone who overdoses with no one nearby to call for help.The border lockdown has also disrupted the supply chain of street-level narcotics.