One of the most pressing public health challenges faced by the United States today is the epidemic of opioid overdoses. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), overdose of opioids (including prescription opioids, heroin, and fentanyl) killed more than 42,000 people in the United States in 2016, more than any other year on record. From 2015 to 2016, the death rate of synthetic opioids other than methadone, which includes drugs such as tramadol and fentanyl, increased by 100 percent. Additionally, from 2016 to 2017, there was a 30 percent increase in emergency room visits for opioid overdoses.