A new study shows the ag industry has been one of the hardest hit in a surge of opioid deaths.
The study analyzed fatal overdoses in Massachusetts and broke down the numbers per 100,000 people. One of the biggest jumps came in the ag sector where the death rate from 2011 to 2015 was 107. By 2016, it had more than doubled to 221.
However, it is important to note these numbers did not take into account the surge of deaths that came as a result of the pandemic.
Researchers did not look at why the ag sector was so heavily impacted, but an advocacy group says that the numbers show a need for more programs and strategies.
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