The American opioid death epidemic-lessons for New Zealand?

The US is currently in the grips of an epidemic of opioid drug deaths. The pattern has shifted from prescription opioids to illicit fentanyl in most recent years. In New Zealand there has been concern about prescription opioid drugs, although we have not seen the rapid increase in mortality that has been observed in the US. It is not clear whether we will follow the American pattern, but there may be lessons we can learn from the American experience and develop appropriate surveillance for this potentially significant public health problem.