Overdose deaths declined by about 10 percent nationally to roughly 101,000, according to preliminary data published recently by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This amounted to the largest decrease on record, according to the Biden administration. Nonfatal overdoses are also down more than 10 percent.
Some states have reported even greater decreases than the national rate. In Kentucky, overdose deaths dropped by more than a third between April 2023 and March 2024. Arizona, Maine and Vermont all recorded recent decreases of around 15 percent.
Nabarun Dasgupta, a leading drug policy expert, noted the pace of the decline is such an anomaly in the last 20 years, suggesting significant changes in the dynamics of drug use and response measures.
North Carolina's fentanyl overdose rate fell by more than 30 percent from May 2023 to May 2024, prompting Dr. Dasgupta to reach out to the state's health department for confirmation of this dramatic change.
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