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Opioid deaths in Massachusetts worse than feared, data shows
http://www.wcvb.com/health/opioid-deaths-in-massachusetts-worse-than-feared-data-shows/34529682Opioid deaths increase by 57 percent since 2012
Opioid deaths in Massachusetts worse than feared, data shows
UPDATED 2:20 PM EDT Aug 04, 2015
BOSTON —The state's exploding opioid epidemic is worse than public health officials feared.
The number of opioid overdose deaths in 2014 totaled 1,256, according to revised numbers released by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health Tuesday. The department had originally estimated 1,008 deaths for the year.
The deaths represent a 57 percent increase over those reported in 2012.
The addiction crisis, which has touched virtually every community in the state, claimed 312 lives in the first three months of 2015, according to the new data.