New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows a dramatic change: drug overdose deaths in the United States decreased by 27% in 2024, the largest yearly decline in five years.
Approximately 30,000 fewer persons died from drug overdoses last year (an estimated 80,391) than in 2023. According to experts, the fall is probably the consequence of ongoing harm reduction initiatives, more access to treatment, and shifting drug-use patterns. The number of overdose deaths caused by synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl, decreased by 37% annually. Deaths from cocaine and methamphetamine also decreased dramatically.
According to Dr. Daniel Ciccarone of the University of California, San Francisco, “this may reflect a turning point in how we respond to addiction.”
