The number of opioid overdose deaths in the United States has decreased for 12 months in a row, to its lowest level since 2020.
Experts point to improved access to naloxone and evolving drug supply, but they warn against complacency because tens of thousands of people die from overdoses every year.
According to the most recent CDC estimates, the number of opioid overdose deaths in the United States is declining significantly for the first time in years, with a 12-month streak of declines.
With an 18% decrease from the previous year, deaths from opioids, such as heroin and fentanyl, are at their lowest level since 2020, giving hope to the ongoing opioid crisis.
About 70,655 opioid-related deaths were reported in the year ending June 2024, highlighting a change that experts credit to a number of causes.
In addition to innovative tactics to stop first-time drug use, particularly in younger groups, increased accessibility to naloxone, a life-saving overdose reversal medication, has proved essential.
Dr. Allison Arwady from the CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control emphasizes that “it’s time to double down” on these successful measures, rather than easing up.
Overdose deaths among Black men and Native Americans continue to be frighteningly high, according to specialists like Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, who advises caution.
Although academics, notably Nabarun Dasgupta from UNC Chapel Hill, emphasize that there is no single cause, the problem may be made more complicated by the possibility that a shift in the illegal drug supply is contributing to this downward trend.
Although there is hope, doctors caution that America’s battle against opioids is far from done, as about 100,000 overdose deaths still occur each year.
