Report: One thing kills Americans more than guns or car accidents

Drug addiction continues to be a serious and fatal problem in America.

CNN is reporting that the number of overdose-related deaths exceeds those from shootings and car accidents which used to be in the top spot until around 2009.

In fact, the article states that "drugs are the leading cause of accidental death in this country."

According to Mother Jones, over 40,000 people in the U.S. die each year from narcotics, and the majority of them do so with opioids.

Opioids are drugs which include heroin and prescription painkillers like OxyContin and Vicodin.

Users tend to get addicted because the initial feel-good high triggered by a dopamine release in the brain becomes weaker over time.

The states hardest hit by drug overdose related deaths per capita in 2015 include West Virginia, New Hampshire, and Kentucky.

The U.S. government has tried to address the problem through legislation, funding proposals, and regulations by the Food and Drug Administration.