Newborn babies are increasingly suffering from the national opioid epidemic in Colorado, spending their first days suffering painful drug withdrawals.
The rate of babies born with an addiction to opioids spiked 83 percent across the state between 2010 and 2015 as abuse rates of prescription painkillers increased among adults. Officials from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment revealed data Monday showing the rate of newborns suffering opioid withdrawals rose from roughly 2 babies out of 1,000 to 3.6 out of 1,000, reports KUNC.