Like the rest of the United States, Wisconsin has experienced a rapid rise in opioid-related deaths. While death rates due to other major causes have fallen in the last 10 years, opioid deaths have skyrocketed and now kill more Wisconsinites than car crashes. For many, this crisis has meant losing a child, sibling, parent, or friend, but the state as a whole has seen significant social costs due to the opioid crisis. These include increased mortality rates, hospitalizations related to overdoses, and increases in child welfare cases.
READ WISCONSIN’S OPIOID CRISIS
“Wisconsin’s Opioid Crisis,” released April 2019, was prepared by Will Maher. The fact sheet discusses Wisconsin’s growing opioid problem, including its geographic distribution, how synthetic and prescription opioids have exacerbated the crisis, and examples of the social costs of opiate addiction in the state.