Fentanyl killed 18,335 people in the US in 2016, making it the deadliest drug in America.

Health officials announced the new ranking of overdose deaths from 2016. Heroin had been in the No. 1 spot from 2012 to 2015. Oxycodone held the top spot in 2011. 

Fentanyl rose to the top very quickly. In 2011, the drug caused just 4% of overdose deaths. By 2016, that number rose to 29%.


Here are the top 10 deadliest drugs in the US:

1. Fentanyl: 18,335 deaths
2. Heroin: 15,961 deaths
3. Cocaine: 11,316 deaths
4. Methamphetamine: 6,762 deaths
5. Alprazolam: 6,209 deaths
6. Oxycodone: 6,199 deaths
7. Morphine: 5,014 deaths
8. Methadone: 3,493 deaths
9. Hydrocodone: 3,199 deaths
10. Diazepam: 2,022 deaths

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