BRIEF: Overdose deaths in Indiana continue to mount

Aug. 25--Indiana had a record number of drug overdose deaths last year, according to a preliminary federal report.

Data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows 1,840 people died of an overdose in Indiana in 2017, an 18 percent increase compared to 2016 and 37 percent jump over 2015.

The CDC report shows that Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia and New Jersey saw some of the nation's biggest spikes in drug overdose deaths last year.

While the 2017 totals include deaths from all types of drugs, a vast majority of the overdoses were caused by opioids.

Nationwide, about 72,000 people died from drug overdoses last year. That's a 10 percent increase from 2016, the report said.

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