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4mo ago

U.S. Drug Overdose Deaths Plunge to Five-Year Low in 2024

CDC data reveals a 27% decline in overdose fatalities, driven by fewer fentanyl-related deaths, but experts warn federal funding cuts could jeopardize progress.

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.
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.

Overview

  • Provisional CDC data shows U.S. drug overdose deaths fell to 80,391 in 2024, a 27% drop from 2023 and the lowest level since 2019.
  • Fentanyl-related deaths saw the steepest decline, dropping 37% from 76,282 in 2023 to 48,422 in 2024, though it remains the leading cause of overdose fatalities.
  • All but two states, South Dakota and Nevada, experienced reductions, with some states like Ohio and West Virginia seeing declines over 35%.
  • Experts attribute the decline to expanded naloxone access, increased addiction treatment, and funding from opioid lawsuit settlements, though the exact causes remain uncertain.
  • Concerns are growing over proposed federal budget cuts to the CDC and SAMHSA, which could undermine ongoing harm reduction and treatment initiatives.