Decline in U.S. Overdose Deaths Continues

New government data shows U.S. overdose deaths are continuing to decline, AP reports.

Based on provisional data, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found there were about 97,000 overdose deaths in the 12 months ending June 30, down 14% from the estimated 113,000 deaths in the previous 12-month period. Overdose deaths were down in 45 states, while increases were seen in Alaska, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington.

The largest drops were seen in North Carolina and Ohio. CDC officials said that some jurisdictions have had lags in providing death records to federal statisticians, especially in North Carolina, which has been impacted by understaffing at the state medical examiner’s office.

Experts say there could be several reasons for the decline in overdose deaths. “During the pandemic we saw such a meteoric rise in drug overdose deaths that it’s only natural we would see a decrease,” said Farida Ahmad of the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics. Overdose deaths continue to be well above what they were at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the article notes.

Other causes for the drop may include the increased availability of the overdose antidote naloxone and addiction treatments such as buprenorphine. Some local governments have started spending opioid settlement funds on these efforts.