evidence: Fentanyl deaths have risen over the last decade, with nearly 24 times more deaths in 2022 than 2013, and approximately 73,838 deaths in 2022 alone. [...] 2022’s fentanyl overdose rates varied widely by race, with Black people or African Americans experiencing rates at 33.7 deaths per 100,000 people — nearly 50% higher than the national average. Despite representing 13.6% of the US population, Black Americans made up 21.2% of fentanyl deaths. [...] In 1999, fentanyl overdoses resulted in 730 deaths. This figure rose to 2,946 in 2009 and 36,359 in 2019. The CDC recorded approximately 73,838 fentanyl overdose deaths in 2022, or nearly 102 times the deaths in 1999.