Last updated : May 12, 2025
After an unprecedented rise in drug overdose deaths throughout the pandemic—topping out at a 46% increase between 2019 and 2021—the U.S. celebrated when the number dropped by 3% during 2023. Have you heard that as of April 2024, the numbers dropped even further?
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that according to the latest data received overdose deaths have decreased by over 10% nationwide.
That is phenomenal!
Dr. Sarah Wakeman, senior medical director for substance abuse at Mass General Brigham, expressed joy upon learning this news. She spoke to CNN further stating, “I think also it’s important to note that there are still more people dying from overdose than before the pandemic, and we’re still stratospherically higher than we should be in terms of people dying from a preventable cause of death.”
Even so, it’s very encouraging
Dr. Nabarun Dasgupta, the University of North Carolina’s street drug expert, has confirmed that the decline in overdose deaths is visible at the state level too. He stated that this is especially the case in the eastern United States. Moreover, the numbers coming out of North Carolina, specifically, were down 31%.
Other states from which data is available prove large drops in overdose deaths as well.
The 2024 data gathered thus far reports:
- Vermont deaths are down by 22%
- Ohio reports a 31% drop in overdose deaths
- Missouri is reporting the largest drop with 34% fewer deaths
Dr. Dasgupta noted that, in full, the numbers equate to as many as 20,000 people alive today rather than suffering death due to drug overdose. Moreover, the data only reflects the first four months of this year!
The rocky road we traveled
Pre-pandemic we were horrified when U.S. overdose deaths hovered around 72,000 annually. Moreover. we had no way of knowing that those numbers would climb by more than 30,000 in a few short years. Fentanyl had already been identified as a contributing factor to the rise in overdose deaths back in 2019.
However, once the borders were opened to all, the overdose deaths began to rise sharply. It was soon discovered that fentanyl was being found in all manner of street drugs being smuggled into the country.
In 2022, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) issued a Public Safety Alert for American citizens cautioning them of the dangers of purchasing “fake prescription pills.” At the time they released the warning, fentanyl was being discovered in 6 of every 10 pills tested. There have also been instances of marijuana being laced with this dangerous drug.
Drugs containing fentanyl are being sold to unsuspecting Americans on the street and online.
Largely manufactured by two Mexican drug cartels, the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco (CJNG) Cartel, the pills looked identical to prescription drugs. OxyContin, Percocet, and Xanax, as well as many others, were discovered to contain fentanyl. Due to its low cost, drug cartels began using fentanyl to “cut” drugs. This means it was added to the original substance to enhance its effects while substantially increasing the bulk of the product they had for sale.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50 times more potent than morphine—and one hundred times more potent than heroin. Ingesting as little as 2 milligrams of it—likened to a few grains of salt—could be deadly. The CDC determined that during 2021, as many as 66% of reported overdose deaths were caused—at least in part—by fentanyl or another synthetic opioid.
Is the reason for the decline evident?
At the time, there hasn’t been a clear explanation for the significant drop. However, people struggling with addiction—in the homeless community especially—list several viable causes.
Naloxone
This medication has proved to be a lifesaver when it comes to opioid overdose. Administering Naloxone during an opioid overdose can give emergency personnel a chance to reach the victim. The medication reverses the effects of the drug for a short period of time and in some instances completely revives the victim.
Available over the counter, Naloxone is also being distributed freely within some U.S. states in areas where the homeless community is prevalent.
The buddy system
Especially within the homeless community, those struggling with addiction have begun using the buddy system when using drugs. Having someone nearby to watch over the user provides them with a safety net should they suffer an overdose.
Opioid addiction treatments
Perhaps more so within communities other than the homeless, there are medications prescribed for those suffering from opioid addiction.
They are:
- Naltrexone—blocks the opioid receptors in the brain making them ineffective
- Methadone—doesn’t cause euphoria so users don’t feel “high,” but it suppresses the urge to use
- Buprenorphine—this partial agonist only partially stimulates opioid receptors
Continued education
There is report after report of some young person experimenting with drugs for the first time who died after taking just one dose of a drug sold as a prescription medication. Educating our young people about the dangers of purchasing these drugs from unknown sources can make a difference.
Educating them about the high addiction risk that many of these drugs carry is another important tool in the war on drug abuse. Perhaps they will choose not to risk it happening to them and they will live a drug-free lifestyle instead.
Hoping this trend continues
As the medical community works to discover the exact reason that overdose deaths are on the decline, let’s all focus on the point that they are declining! Lives are being spared and we should celebrate that fact.
While it’s true that over 100,000 people still lost their lives to death by drug overdose, a 10.6% drop in less than a year is something many thought they would never see happen. However, it is happening!
There is something to be said for the power of positive thinking. Celebrating the fact that fewer people are dying from drug use keeps the positivity flowing. What will the numbers reflect by year’s end?
We want to see where this path leads! Could this be the beginning of the end of the drug epidemic? We at USAMDT are going to dare to hope it will be so! Will you take that dare too?
