opioid epidemic

American  

[oh-pee--oid ep-i-dem-ik] / ˈoʊ pi ˌɔɪd ˌɛp ɪˈdɛm ɪk /

noun

1. a public health crisis brought about by a notable increase in the use of opioids.

   legislative efforts to deal with the opioid epidemic.

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Etymology

Origin of opioid epidemic

First recorded in 2010–15

Example Sentences

This is money that huge companies have agreed to pay to US states, to be used for the "abatement of the opioid epidemic".

From BBC

Experts describe the opioid epidemic as unfolding in four distinct "waves," each tied to a different drug driving fatal overdoses: prescription opioids in the 1990s, heroin beginning around 2010, fentanyl taking hold in 2013, and a combination of fentanyl and stimulants emerging in 2015.

From Science Daily

The opioid epidemic has been called “the deadliest drug crisis in American history.”

From Salon

We are at least two, in some cases, three generations deep in the opioid epidemic.

From Salon

Baltimore's state attorney, Ivan Bates, said the incident served as a "powerful reminder" of the city's "ongoing battle against the opioid epidemic".

From BBC