Edward Conard

Top Ten New York Times Bestselling Author

  • “Unintended Consequences provides a provocative interpretation of the causes of the global financial crisis and the policies needed to return to rapid growth. Whether you agree or not, this analysis is well worth reading.” - Nouriel Roubini, New York University; Chairman, Roubini Global Economics
  • “…challenges misconceptions that distort our economic debates.” - Arthur Brooks, President of the American Enterprise Institute
  • “Unintended Consequences is full of substance, it is one of the must-read books of the year, and once I finish it I will be giving it a second read through right away.” - Tyler Cowen, Professor, George Mason University
  • “Unintended Consequences offers deep and well-argued analyses on almost every issue.” - The New York Times
  • “Unintended Consequences is far smarter and more thought-provoking than most economics written for the general public” - Greg Mankiw, Harvard University, Former Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors
  • “…a very valuable contribution.” - Larry Summers, former Secretary of the Treasury and director of the National Economic Council, president emeritus, Harvard University
  • “…serious thinking for serious thinkers. …a thought-provoking blueprint for growing middle- and working-class incomes.” - Mitt Romney, former Governor of Massachusetts
  • “…reminds us that inequality sends a signal of what society lacks most, in America’s case, entrepreneurship and risk taking.” - Lawrence Lindsey, CEO, The Lindsey Group, former Director of the National Economic Council
  • “…reminds us that inequality sends a signal of what society lacks most, in America’s case, entrepreneurship and risk taking.” - Lawrence Lindsey, CEO, The Lindsey Group, former Director of the National Economic Council
  • “Unintended Consequences should be read by anyone who takes for granted the superiority of progressive taxation and has not thought carefully about the trade-offs involved.” - The New Republic
  • “…a must-read for serious students of economic policy.” - Glenn Hubbard, Dean, Columbia Business School, and former Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers
  • “…challenges misconceptions that distort our economic debates.” - Arthur Brooks, President of the American Enterprise Institute
Upside of Inequality Oxford Unintended Consequences

AI Summary. Fentanyl and other synthetic opioids kill roughly 75,000 Americans a year, more than double the 2019 figure, with annual overdose deaths rising 5% year-over-year after a decade of steep increases. Fentanyl killed more than a third of a million Americans over the prior decade, and border seizures nearly doubled in a year.

Economist Staff The Economist
Date Posted:

Drug overdoses in the US may be peaking: between 2021-2022 deaths rose just 5% to 75,000, which remains double the 2019 figure.

Are synthetic opioid deaths still rising after a decade of increases?

Core argument: Fentanyl and other synthetic opioids kill roughly 75,000 Americans a year, more than double the 2019 figure, with 2022 deaths just 5% above 2021 after a decade of steep increases.

After a decade of horrifying ascent, the yearly number of fatal overdoses appears at last to be slowing to a gentle climb. The figure for 2022 was just 5% higher than that of 2021. That still leaves fentanyl and other synthetic opioids like it killing some 75,000 people a year—more than double the figure of 2019. In 2013-22 fentanyl killed more than a third of a million Americans. But in the fight against the deadliest narcotic in American history, that is what passes for success. Seizures of fentanyl at the border almost doubled last year.

Takeaways by Macro Roundup® AI

  1. Fentanyl and other synthetic opioids kill roughly 75,000 Americans a year, more than double the 2019 figure, with 2022 deaths just 5% above 2021 after a decade of steep increases.
  2. Fentanyl, the deadliest narcotic in American history, killed more than a third of a million Americans in 2013-22.
  3. Seizures of fentanyl at the American border almost doubled last year, while the yearly rise in fatal overdoses slowed to a gentle climb.

Related Articles:

  • The Deaths-Of-Despair Narrative Is Out Of Date — An analysis of mortality and demographic data finds that deaths from alcohol, drugs and suicide have spread beyond predominantly white, working-class areas, with growth of 7% a year in the most diverse, educated counties versus 5.5% in counties with many high-school-educated whites. Such deaths are now as prevalent in Democratic-leaning as Republican-leaning counties.
  • How Fentanyl Changed The Game For Mexico’s Drug Cartels — Fentanyl causes most of the more than 85,000 annual opioid overdose deaths in the US and Canada, and has become the leading cause of death for young US adults. Researchers at Rand Corporation estimate a full year's US fentanyl supply weighs about 5 tonnes, versus roughly 125 tonnes for heroin.
  • The Rise in American Pain: The Importance of the Great Recession — The authors find that the rise in reported pain among Americans was almost entirely concentrated in the 2007–2010 recession period rather than following a smooth upward trend, with the disproportionate increase among the less educated also occurring primarily then. The authors state they find this jump difficult to explain.
Showing 72 database articles primarily about Poverty/Crime