Army posts and drug overdoses

WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) - Fatal drug overdoses happen in the military too.

The Army Times reports that although the Army saw a decline in recent years, soldiers at 5 installations are dying of drug overdoses at more than double the rate of other Defense Department personnel.

Fort Bragg in North Carolina is at the top of the list. Fort Drum isn’t part of the top 5.

Across the Army in 2021, the drug death rate is 6.1 per 100,000 soldiers.

For a four-year window between 2017 and 2021, Fort Bragg’s rate was 16.8.

Fort Drum is higher than the Army average at 8.2.

In the report, U.S. Senator Ed Markey (D. - Mass.) is quoted as saying, “Our military is not immune to the opioid epidemic.”

The report says the military will engage in more education and awareness activities to warn soldiers about drug use.

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