After decades of surge, the US is now seeing a significant drop in drug overdoses across the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The preliminary data by CDC says drug overdose deaths fell by 12.7 per cent in the 12 months ending in May this year.
“This is the largest recorded reduction in overdose deaths,” White House officials said in a statement. “And the sixth consecutive month of reported decreases in predicted 12-month total numbers of drug overdose deaths.”
According to the numbers released, it is also the first time since 2021 that the number of estimated drug overdose deaths for 12 months fell below 100,000, to 98,820.
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Health officials puzzled how numbers came down
Health experts – who have been working for decades to stop the upward trajectory of opioid deaths, driven mostly by fentanyl – say while it is good news, they are puzzled how the number of deaths has come down suddenly. While it is unclear what prompted the sudden and unexpected decline, there are many theories they are following.
According to officials, overdose reduction strategies like increased availability of Narcan – an opioid antagonist indicated for the emergency treatment of known or suspected opioid overdose – have also been used extensively before the sudden drop in numbers.
“We’ve been doing the things we’re doing for over 10 years. I’d love to say it’s finally working,” CBS News quoted Dr. Joan Papp, an emergency physician at Cleveland’s MetroHealth Medical Center. “But boy, I don’t know. I wish I knew so I could bottle it.”
According to experts, one of the reasons for the slide in numbers could be non-dependence on drugs after the pandemic. Doctors say more people are now either using drugs in the presence of others or would call 911 before things become serious.
Data shows drug overdose cases down in 41 states
The CDC data shows that drug overdose deaths in the last 12 months have significantly come down in at least 41 states. Even the nation’s largest metropolitan area — New York City — saw a small but measurable drop.
According to statistics, in 2023, 3,046 people in the city died of a drug overdose – a 1 per cent decrease from 2022 and New York's first drop in overdose deaths since 2018.
Similarly in Seattle, the national trend echoes as the city logged 22 per cent fewer overdose deaths in the first nine months of this year compared to last year. The number of nonfatal overdoses fell as well. Officials say around 85 per cent of people who use drugs in Seattle, also carry Narcan.