In 2020, the EU reported 5800 drug overdose deaths in a population of 440 million. The same year, the United States, with a population of 330 million, reported 68 000 drug overdose deaths.
As with many if not all issues in the US it comes down to the lies everyone get fed and subsequently buys into.
Instead of looking into root causes, quick fixes and promises are all that is ever supplied. At best they never really work and at worst they make things worse.
Look at prisons, childbirth and deaths of infants, healthcare in general, energy or food. It doesn't really matter, because you see first hand what a unregulated economy that is 100% for profit leads to.
Nothing... absolutely nothing gets better for the average citizen (who in a democratic system should be the beneficiaries) but be it big oil, big telecom or big pharma are the winners.
Also nothing will improve because the system by now is so rigged that change is nearly impossible.
That is why I moved my family back to Europe after 20 years in the US.