Opioid overdose deaths have now slowed to the lowest levels nationwide since 2020, according to new estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This marks the 12th straight month of decline since a peak last year. Around 70,655 deaths linked to opioids like heroin and fentanyl were reported for the year ending June 2024, the CDC now estimates , falling 18% from the same time in 2023.
Almost all states, except for a handful in the West from Alaska through Nevada, are now seeing a significant decrease in overdose death rates. Early data from Canada also suggests overdose deaths there might now be slowing off of a peak in 2023 too. "While these data are cause for optimism, we must not lose sight of the fact that nearly 100,000 people are still estimated to be dying annually from drug overdose in the U.
S." said Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, in a statement.
Other types of drug overdoses beyond opioids are also slowing. While they make up a smaller share of overall deaths, overdoses linked to drugs like methamphetamine and cocaine are also showing signs of dropping nationwide following a peak last year. "We are encouraged by this data, but boy, it is time to double down on the things that we know are working.
It is not a time to pull back, and I feel very strongly, and our data shows, that the threat continues to evolve," Dr. Allison Arwady, head of the CDC's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, told CBS News. Ar.