NEW ORLEANS—Opioid overdose deaths rose to an all-time high during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the actual rate of abuse of opioids declined, according to the CDC. Now a new analysis of data from the annual National Survey on Drug Use and Health finds that while rates of opioid abuse decreased in both non-heterosexual and heterosexual individuals from 2019 to 2020, the rates remain higher for those identifying as sexual minorities.
The survey—which asked its more than 89,000