Fatal Overdoses Down 12.7%, Marking Sixth Consecutive Month of Decreases

Fatal overdoses are down 12.7% in the 12 months ending May 2024, according to provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This marks the sixth consecutive month of reported decreases, NPR reports.

Experts say the drop marks a dramatic reversal from just a few years ago when fatal overdoses were spiraling upward at devastating speed. If the trend holds, this year is expected to the first since 2020 to see overdose deaths fall below 100,000.

Public health officials from New York City and Seattle said their experience locally mirrors the national trend. Experts noted, however, that some communities, especially Black and Native Americans, are not yet seeing significant declines in overdose deaths.

Poverty, the unhoused population and racial disparities in access to health care appear to be making it harder for some groups to recover. A debate has begun among drug policy experts and public health officials over why overdose deaths are declining so rapidly.