On May 14, 2024, the CDC reported a notable decline of nearly 27% in drug overdose deaths in the U.S., recording 80,391 fatalities that year. This drop marks a significant turnaround from a decade of increasing overdose rates that peaked at over 111,000 deaths in mid-2023. The key factors contributing to this decline include reduced fatalities linked to synthetic opioids like fentanyl and stimulants. However, significant racial disparities in overdose rates persist, and public health advocates express concern over potential further setbacks due to previous budget cuts impacting health services.
At the beginning of 2015, the CDC reported fewer than 50,000 overdose deaths annually. By 2021, that number had surpassed 100,000 before peaking at 111,451 during the summer of 2023.
Local data aggregated by the CDC shows decreases in drug fatality rates across all 50 states compared to peak levels, and deaths linked to fentanyl and stimulants also dropped significantly.
If you look at the CDC graph, the peak month in the overdose death data was June of 2023 or July, so if we use the peak as the starting point, then we are down 30 percent off of the peak.
Each of the 80,391 overdose deaths recorded in 2024 is a tragedy and policy failure. Overdose remains the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18 to 44.
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