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The Trust Project

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No.

Tobacco kills more people in the nation than any other drug, leaving alcohol No. 2 on the list of deadly substances, federal data shows. 

About 480,000 people die of causes linked to cigarette smoking and secondhand smoke in the U.S. annually, while around 178,000 deaths are from alcohol consumption, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  

By comparison, about 105,000 people in the U.S. died of overdoses from other drugs in 2023, a recent CDC study found.

In Colorado, roughly 5,000 people die annually from smoking-related causes, the American Lung Association estimates.

Roughly 1,530 Coloradans died of causes related to alcohol in 2023, such as alcohol poisoning, alcoholic liver disease and alcohol-related mental or behavioral disorders, state health data shows. 

Colorado saw 1,290 deaths in 2023 from opioids, 1,100 deaths from fentanyl, 810 from methamphetamines and other psychostimulants and 290 from cocaine in 2023.

See full source list below.

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References:

Cigarette Smoking, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Sept. 17, 2024.

Facts About U.S. Deaths from Excessive Alcohol Use, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Aug. 6, 2024.

Drug Overdose Deaths in the United States, 2003-2023, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, December 2024.

Colorado Highlights, American Lung Association, accessed in January 2025.

Colorado Health Information Dataset, queried for unintentional drug-related overdose and alcohol induced deaths 2000-2023, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, accessed in January 2025.

Type of Story: Fact-Check

Checks a specific statement or set of statements asserted as fact.

Por recently graduated from CU Boulder with a master’s degree in journalism and is interested in writing about the environment and exploring local stories. When not working on some form of writing, Por is either looking for Thai food or petting...