By Steven Reinberg 

HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, May 3, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Overdose deaths in the United States tied to the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl soared 279% from 2016 to 2021, health officials reported Wednesday.

With the nation reeling from continued drug overdose deaths, investigators sought to identify trends in drug-related fatalities involving the five most commonly involved opioids and stimulant drugs: fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine and oxycodone.

In just five years, deaths involving fentanyl — the most frequently implicated substance — rose from 6 per 100,000 people to 22 per 100,000, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“This continues to…

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