Opinions on the seriousness of the opioid epidemic in the U.S. as of 2017
This statistic displays the percentage of U.S. adults who thought the opioid epidemic was a serious problem as of 2017. According to the survey, 48 percent of survey respondents indicated that the opioid epidemic was very serious. Opioids are a substance that act on opioid receptors in the brain and are primarily used as a pain relieving drug. Opioids are highly addictive and can cause fatal overdose when used outside of medicinal practices.