CDC reports record decline in drug overdose deaths

Drug overdose deaths fell by a record last year, according to preliminary data released Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC reported that 94,758 people died from drug overdoses in the 12-month period ending in May 2024 – a 15 percent decrease compared to the previous 12-month period. The agency estimates that if finalized, the number could rise to 98,820, a decline of 12.7 percent.

Rahul Gupta, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, praised the data, which showed a decline in nationwide drug-related deaths for the sixth straight month.

“We are at a critical turning point,” Gupta said. “This new data shows that there is hope, that there is progress and that there is an urgent call to action for all of us to continue to work together across society to reduce drug overdose deaths and save even more lives .”

Synthetic opioids such as fentanyl are still involved in the majority of drug overdose deaths.

Wednesday’s data highlighted regional differences in efforts to successfully curb drug-related deaths.

North Carolina reported the largest change in overdose deaths, recording a 48.8 percent decrease compared to the previous period. Eight other states — Nebraska, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma, Virginia, Delaware and New Jersey — also reported at least a 21 percent decrease in overdose deaths.

But several Western countries bucked this trend and reported a rise in drug-related deaths. Alaska led the way with a 36.1 percent increase in overdose deaths. Four other states – Oregon, Nevada, Utah and Washington – saw deaths increase by 5 to 15 percent.

Reported drug deaths over a 12-month period topped 100,000 for the first time in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, and efforts to reverse that trend have yielded mixed results. In contrast, there were approximately 68,000 overdose deaths in the 12-month period ending January 2019.

Congress renewed some of the lapsed provisions of the comprehensive Opioid Prevention, Treatment and Enforcement Act of 2018 in its March omnibus spending measure, but never reached consensus on broader elements of both chambers’ bipartisan reauthorization packages.

Reps. Paul Tonko, D-N.Y., and Michael R. Turner, R-Ohio, announced Wednesday that as part of their efforts they have sent requests to more than two dozen hospitals, insurance plans and groups that provide pharmacies, pharmacists and medical providers represent reducing barriers to treating opioid use disorder.

Efforts to increase public awareness and access to naloxone, used to treat opioid overdoses, have been successful. A study published Monday in JAMA Network Open found that between June 2020 and June 2022, naloxone administration administered by emergency responders decreased by 6.1 percent, while naloxone administration administered by laypersons increased by 43.5 percent.

Separately, in 2023, the Food and Drug Administration approved the first over-the-counter naloxone spray.