Fatal drug overdoses appear to be declining in the United States, after years of an upward trend.
Overdose deaths fell 12.7% in the 12 months ending in May, according to data released Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“This is the largest reduction in overdose deaths on record,” White House officials said in a statement. “And the sixth consecutive month of decline” in the figures.
It is also the first time since early 2021 that the estimated number of drug overdose deaths for a 12-month period fell below 100,000, standing at 98,820.
It is, categorically, good news.
It’s also a little disconcerting for public health experts who have been working for years to stop the upward curve of opioid deaths, driven primarily by fentanyl.
In Cleveland, for example, monthly overdose deaths in the first three months of this year were down 40% compared to last year, according to David Margolius, the city’s public health director.
It is not clear what is causing this sudden and unexpected decline. Strategies to reduce overdoses, such as increasing the availability of Narcan, a medication that can reverse opioid overdoses, were used long before the sharp decline.
“We have been doing what we are doing for more than 10 years. I would love to say it’s finally working,” said Joan Papp, an emergency room doctor at MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland. “But wow, I don’t know.”
One possible factor is that people are no longer using drugs in isolation as they did during the height of the pandemic. They are now more likely to use around others who might call 911 or administer Narcan.
According to the latest data from the CDC, overdose deaths decreased in 41 states in the 12 months ending in May.
“For the first time since at least 2018, national data for 2023 showed a decrease in overdose deaths compared to the previous year,” said Chrissie Juliano, executive director of the Big Cities Health Coalition, a group representing health officials. of the country’s largest cities, during a media briefing Thursday.
“The provisional national data for 2024 continues this trend,” he added.
Even the largest metropolitan area in the country—New York City—saw a small but noticeable decline.
In 2023, 3,046 people in the city died from drug overdoses, according to health officials. It was a 1% decrease compared to 2022 and the first drop in overdose deaths since 2018 in the city.
Ashwin Vasan, commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, who left his post on Friday, said during the briefing that he was “cautiously and humbly excited” about the latest numbers.
Seattle officials echoed the national trend. “For the first time in several years, we are starting to see a significant decrease in overdose deaths,” Brad Finegood, who oversees overdose and addiction programs in Seattle, said during Thursday’s briefing.
The city recorded 22% fewer overdose deaths in the first nine months of this year compared to last year. The number of non-fatal overdoses also decreased.
“This represents a very significant decline,” Finegood said.
He said that in Seattle, about 85% of people who use drugs have access to Narcan.
“Even though we know they can’t reverse their own overdose, they are often the first on the scene and are able to reverse a potentially fatal overdose, bring someone back to life,” he said.
