--- title: Opioids Responsible for 1 in 5 Young Adult Deaths in 2016 description: In 2016, opioids were involved in 20% of deaths among adults ages 25 to 34, a new study shows. Opioids were involved in 1.5% of all deaths. canonical: https://time.com/5299363/opioids-young-adults-deaths/ author: Jamie Ducharme article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-06-02T14:01:46.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-12T09:29:25.245Z article:section: Health og:title: Opioids Are Now Responsible for 20% of Young Adult Deaths og:description: And one in 65 deaths overall og:url: https://time.com/5299363/opioids-young-adults-deaths/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt349ca5fbd0cca431/698932240a4a2229fe9d2dec/opioid-deaths.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4796 og:image:height: 2698 og:image:alt: Drug Useage in Los Angeles og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Opioids Are Now Responsible for 20% of Young Adult Deaths twitter:description: And one in 65 deaths overall twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt349ca5fbd0cca431/698932240a4a2229fe9d2dec/opioid-deaths.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Opioids Are Now Responsible for 1 in 5 Deaths Among Young Adults > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=b039957f-84c9-4635-bbe0-5877ec88f4ba&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: The Opioid Diaries: Trailer [Watch (HLS stream): The Opioid Diaries: Trailer](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/DmqH0RiD.m3u8) (1:32)  _Published 2018-02-22. TIME presents The Opioid Diaries, with photographs by James Nachtwey_  by [Jamie Ducharme](https://time.com/author/jamie-ducharme/)  ## Jamie Ducharme Ducharme is a contributor to TIME. Jun 2, 2018 2:01 PM UTC TIME presents The Opioid Diaries, with photographs by James Nachtwey  by [Jamie Ducharme](https://time.com/author/jamie-ducharme/)  ## Jamie Ducharme Ducharme is a contributor to TIME. Jun 2, 2018 2:01 PM UTC In 2016, one in 65 deaths in the United States involved opioids — and among younger adults, that number skyrocketed to one in five, according to a new study. Data has shown for years that deaths involving both prescribed and illicit opioids are rising sharply. They’ve [nearly doubled since 2009](http://time.com/4920021/u-s-opioid-deaths-nearly-doubled-since-2009/), and have infiltrated all genders, demographics and geographic areas, according to [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data](http://time.com/5220372/drug-overdose-deaths-cdc/). [The new study](https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2682878), published Friday in the journal _JAMA Network Open_, puts some of those numbers into new perspective. The paper used data from the CDC’s WONDER database, which tracks mortality data and causes of death in the U.S. Researchers first isolated all opioid-related deaths recorded between 2001 and 2016 (335,123 in all), then broke those down by age groups and years. In 2016, opioids were involved in 28,496 deaths, the study says. More than 8,400 of these occurred among adults between the ages of 25 and 34, a number high enough to mean that 20% of all deaths in this age group in 2016 involved opioids. Among those between the ages of 15 and 24, the report adds, the nearly 3,000 opioid-related deaths recorded in 2016 accounted for 12.4% of deaths in this demographic. While opioid-related deaths were common among older age groups as well — there were about 6,700 among adults ages 35 and 44, more than 5,600 among adults 45 to 54, more than 3,800 among adults 55 to 64 and around 800 among adults older than 65 — they accounted for a smaller proportion of deaths in these populations. Among the eldest two age groups, however, the percentage of deaths attributable to opioids remained relatively low, but jumped by 745% and 635%, respectively. Still, the study says opioids were involved in 1.5% of all deaths in 2016, regardless of age group. That means, the researchers write, that the drugs were responsible for more life years lost than high blood pressure, HIV/AIDs and pneumonia, and a tenth of those lost to cancer. “Premature death from opioid-related causes imposes an enormous and growing [public health burden](http://time.com/4574651/surgeon-general-report-addiction-substance-abuse/) across the United States,” the researchers write. “These trends highlight a need for tailored programs and policies.” ## Transcript [ BLANK_AUDIO ] 911, where's the emergency? I think my friend overdosed. My God. Is he conscious? No he's unconscious. Come on, keep breathing, come on. [ MUSIC ] Honey, get out of here. Take the kids, all right? Is Gigi gonna be all right? Yes, sweetheart. [ MUSIC ] You've gotta be honest with me. Did you just shoot up? I feel like this whole situation has been freaking created by nothing More than grief, and look at the devastation and destruction that Oxycontin has done. 29 year old male, down approximately [ CROSSTALK ]. Just because you're going to the same persons house for the eighth time in two weeks, you never know when it might be the time that they actually wake up and say hey, I need to go get treatment. Is she dead? Not yet. I build myself up and I tear myself right back down with the same old, same old thing. I don't give up hope, what does that mean for me? The fact that he's still alive means that there is hope. When I found out I was pregnant I was scared to death cuz I don't ever wanna go back using drugs. I just wanna be the normal mom that I'm supposed to be. 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