Fentanyl Deaths 2016: Up 540% in only 3 Years
JOSH KATZ SEPT. 2, 2017 
The first CDC counts in 2016 shows overdose deaths growing even faster than previously thought. The epidemic of drug overdoses is killing people at almost double the rate of both firearm and motor vehicle-related death. At the same time, there has been a resurgence in cocaine and methamphetamine deaths. 
“The first wave of deaths began in 1999 and included deaths involving prescription opioids. It was followed by a second wave, beginning in 2010, and characterized by deaths involving heroin. A third wave started in 2013, with deaths involving synthetic opioids, particularly illicitly manufactured fentanyl (IMF), mostly from Mexico.
 
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/09/02/upshot/fentanyl-drug-overdose-deaths.html