Experts Say There is No Single Explanation for Drop in Overdose Deaths

While overdose deaths are dropping sharply across the United States, experts say there is no single reason for the decrease, The New York Times reports.

Overdose deaths dropped by about 10% nationally between April 2023 and April 2024, according to preliminary data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – the largest decrease on record. Nonfatal overdoses also dropped more than 10%.

Dr. Rahul Gupta, director of the White House’s Office of National Drug Control Policy, said the new data point to the success of the Biden administration’s drug policy agenda. He said this includes loosening of regulations for substance use disorder treatment and lowering of prices for over-the-counter naloxone.

Dr. Yngvild Olsen, an addiction expert at the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, said states have become much more adept at using different funding sources, including from opioid settlements, to distribute naloxone to people who need it.

Others point to changes that have removed the need for a special license known as an “X waiver” to prescribe buprenorphine, and have allowed clinics to offer more take-home doses of methadone.

Some experts say the use of test strips that can detect the presence of fentanyl or xylazine in substances has also contributed to the overdose decline. Others point to an increasing tolerance for fentanyl in people who have used it for years, making them less likely to overdose.