Fact-Check: Dick Durbin's Statistics on Heroin Overdose Deaths in Illinois

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., has been one of the most vocal members in Congress in the fight against the growing heroin and opioid epidemic in Illinois and across the country.

Durbin has introduced a handful of measures to expand and improve access to treatment programs for heroin addiction, as well as legislation that would curtail the amount of prescription opioid medication on the market.

In a July 20 press release discussing new initiatives to combat heroin and prescription opioid addiction, Durbin highlighted some startling statistics to hammer home just how big a problem opioid abuse has become in Illinois:

“Illinois suffered 1,652 overdose deaths in 2014… of which 40 percent were associated with heroin. Illinois is ranked number one in the nation for a decline in treatment capacity between 2007 and 2012, and is now ranked the third worst in the country for state-funded treatment capacity.”

Those are some pretty shocking numbers and there are a lot of them, so we wanted to take a closer look.

Here's what we found and how we rated Durbin's statement.

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