The misuse of prescription substances, including benzodiazepines, has been on the rise in the United States in recent years. Hospital visits and overdose deaths related to these drugs have also been increasing. Recent statistics about benzodiazepines include: Benzodiazepine overdoses decreased from 2017 to 2019 but increased from 2019 to 2020 along with the supply of illicit benzodiazepines. As of 2020, almost 93% of benzodiazepine-related overdose deaths also involved an opioid. About 1.8% of U.S. adolescents and adults abused benzodiazepines in 2019. In 2020, about 7% of U.S. high school seniors had abused tranquilizers like Ativan.