ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
Drug overdose deaths affect millions of families in the U.S., with nearly 108,000 people in the U.S. dying from drug-involved overdose in 2022 alone, including from illicit or prescription drugs.
Statistics also show deaths involving synthetic opioids other than methadone (primarily illicitly manufactured fentanyl) continued to rise with 73,838 overdose deaths reported in 2022. Those involving stimulants, including cocaine or psychostimulants with abuse potential (primarily methamphetamine), also continued to increase with 27,569 and 34,022 respective deaths in 2022.
Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced some good news related to the number of drug overdose deaths, with new provisional data from CDC's National Vital Statistics System predicting a nearly 24 percent decline in drug overdose deaths in the United States for the 12 months ending in September 2024, compared to the previous year, according to a release from the CDC.
“This is the most recent national data available and shows a continued steep decline in overdose deaths. Provisional data shows about 87,000 drug overdose deaths from October 2023 to September 2024, down from around 114,000 the previous year,” a release from the CDC noted. “This is the fewest overdose deaths in any 12-month period since June 2020.”
"It is unprecedented to see predicted overdose deaths drop by more than 27,000 over a single year," Allison Arwady, MD, MPH, Director of CDC's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, noted in the CDC release. "That's more than 70 lives saved every day. CDC's public health investments, our improved data and laboratory systems for overdose response, and our partnerships with public safety colleagues in every state mean that we are more rapidly identifying emerging drug threats and supporting public health prevention and response activities in communities across America."
While this national decline is encouraging news, overdose remains the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-44, highlighting the importance of sustained efforts to ensure this progress continues, the CDC release continued.
“Opioid overdoses were declared to be a public health emergency in 2017, a designation that remains in place, and the subsequent public health investments to CDC from Congress have transformed the nation's ability to use data to save lives,” the CDC release noted. In the most recent data, 45 states showed declines in overdose deaths, but five states – Alaska, Montana, Nevada, South Dakota, and Utah – still saw increases in overdose deaths, highlighting the continued need for rapid local data and tailored response. In addition to the large provisional drop in fatal overdoses, we also see smaller decreases in nonfatal overdoses, as measured by emergency department visits for overdose, and welcome continued decreases in self-reported youth substance use. Multiple factors contribute to the drop in overdose deaths, including widespread, data-driven distribution of naloxone, which is a life-saving medication that can reverse an overdose; better access to evidence-based treatment for substance use disorders; shifts in the illegal drug supply; a resumption of prevention and response after pandemic-related disruptions; and continued investments in prevention and response programs like CDC's flagship Overdose Data to Action (OD2A) program.”
CDC's OD2A program also provides the United States with robust data through its fatal (SUDORS) and nonfatal (DOSE) overdose data systems.
“Currently, 49 state and 41 local health departments receive OD2A funding to collect, improve, and immediately use the data in their communities to implement life-saving activities,” the CDC release noted. “For example, the OD2A program funds comprehensive laboratory testing, which allows us to identify emerging substances involved in nonfatal and fatal overdoses and quickly highlight geographic shifts in the illegal drug supply. State and local public health departments, in partnership with CDC experts, use the data to inform where, what, and when overdose prevention efforts are needed in communities to have the greatest impact and save lives. Finally, CDC funds the Overdose Response Strategy, an innovative public health-public safety data collaboration in every state which allows public safety professionals like law enforcement officials to use data to better understand and intercept illegal drugs.”
“We are moving in the right direction, and we must accelerate and strengthen CDC's continued investments in prevention to reduce overdose deaths,” Arwady noted in the CDC release. “Expanding access to evidence-based treatment for substance use disorders – including medications for opioid use disorder such as buprenorphine and methadone – is important, in addition to building more community-driven interventions and promoting education and early intervention to prevent substance use disorders before they begin.”
