A new report from the DEA highlights the nation's ongoing struggle with opioids.
The annual National Drug Threat Assessment examines how illegal drugs are being used and trafficked in the U.S.
The 2018 report found controlled prescription drugs are responsible for the most overdose deaths in the U.S. That drug class includes narcotics like OxyCodone and Vicodin.
Nearly 15,500 people died from a heroin overdose in 2016. That's a 19 percent increase from the previous year. The DEA report says heroin use is increasing at an alarming rate.
Synthetic opioid deaths increased six-fold between 2013 and 2016, and the most common drug in that category is fentanyl.
The report also highlighted law enforcement efforts to combat drug abuse. It says new programs and initiatives from the Department of Justice and the DEA should help communities fight the opioid epidemic. In October, Congress budgeted more than $8 billion for opioid-related programs.
