Deaths are projected to have declined in 45 out of 50 states, rising in five—Alaska, Montana, Nevada, South Dakota, and Utah.
Drug overdose deaths declined in the United States on an annual basis but continue to remain the leading cause of deaths among people aged 18-44, according to recent estimates from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“New provisional data from CDC’s National Vital Statistics System predict a nearly 24 percent decline in drug overdose deaths in the United States for the 12 months ending in September 2024, compared to the previous year,” the agency said in a Feb. 25 statement.
There were about 87,000 drug overdose deaths between October 2023 and September 2024, down from roughly 114,000 in the previous year, it said. The dates correspond to fiscal year 2024.
The 87,000 figure is the “fewest overdose deaths in any 12-month period since June 2020,” according to the agency.
The CDC attributed the dip in overdose death estimate to multiple factors, including shifts in the supply of illegal drugs, improved access to evidence-based treatment for people suffering from substance use disorders, and the distribution of naloxone—a medication capable of reversing an overdose.
Allison Arwady, director of CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, called the decline in predicted overdose deaths by more than 27,000 in a single year “unprecedented.” This amounts to more than 70 lives saved daily.
“CDC’s public health investments, our improved data and laboratory systems for overdose response, and our partnerships with public safety colleagues in every state mean that we are more rapidly identifying emerging drug threats and supporting public health prevention and response activities in communities across America,” she said.
Despite the significant drop in provisional death stats, drug overdose continues to remain the leading cause of death among Americans between the ages of 18 and 44, the CDC said.
In 2017, President Donald Trump declared opioid overdose a public health emergency.
“This marks a critical step in confronting the extraordinary challenge we face,” he said at the time.
The CDC credited the designation, which continues to remain in place, and the following public health investments to the agency from Congress for having “transformed the nation’s ability to use data to save lives.”
