Particle.news
Download on the App Store
9 ARTICLES
·
2w ago

US Drug Overdose Deaths Drop 27% in 2024, Marking Largest One-Year Decline on Record

Provisional CDC data shows overdose deaths fell to a five-year low, but experts warn federal budget cuts could jeopardize progress.

FILE - Signs are displayed at a tent during a health event on June 26, 2021, in Charleston, W.Va. (AP Photo/John Raby, File)
Aerial view of a camp of the Mexican National Guard recently mounted next to the Mexico-US border as part of Operation Frontera Norte, in eastern Tijuana, Baja California State, Mexico, on February 26, 2025. Mexico on February 4 began moving troops to its northern border as part of a 10,000-member deployment to tighten measures against illegal migration and cross-border smuggling of the drug fentanyl that President Claudia Sheinbaum promised US counterpart Donald Trump in exchange for a delay of his tariffs.
About 80,400 people died from a drug overdose in the US in 2024, according to CDC estimates.
A member of the Portland Fire and Rescue Community Health Assess & Treat (CHAT) team pushes a patient into an ambulance for medical care after they were administered Narcan brand Naloxone nasal spray for a suspected fentanyl drug overdose in Portland, Oregon on January 25, 2024.

Overview

  • An estimated 80,391 overdose deaths were recorded in 2024, a 27% decrease from 2023 and the largest single-year decline in CDC history.
  • Synthetic opioid-related deaths, primarily driven by fentanyl, saw a sharper 37% decline but still accounted for 60% of all overdose fatalities.
  • Key factors cited for the decline include expanded naloxone availability, increased addiction treatment access, and opioid settlement funds.
  • Proposed federal budget cuts targeting the CDC Injury Center and SAMHSA threaten to undermine harm reduction and treatment programs.
  • Experts caution against attributing the decline solely to a potential fentanyl supply disruption, suggesting a combination of multi-year interventions and changing drug use behaviors.