Drug overdose deaths in the US fell sharply in 2024, reaching their lowest level in five years. This offers hope that the country is emerging from its long opioid crisis.
In 2024, approximately 80,391 people died from drug overdoses, a 27% decline from the 110,035 deaths recorded the previous year and the lowest level since 2019, according to AFP.
Deaths linked to the synthetic opioid fentanyl, the main driver of the current epidemic, also fell from around 76,000 in 2023 to 48,422 last year. Only two states, South Dakota and Nevada, saw an increase.
The decline came during the tenure of former President Joe Biden, whose administration expanded access to addiction treatment and made naloxone, an opioid overdose drug, a central focus of the national drug policy. The Trump administration, which returned to power in January, was quick to take credit.
"Since President Trump declared the opioid crisis a public health emergency in 2017, congressional support has allowed the CDC to expand critical data systems and strengthen overdose prevention capacity in every state," said a statement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"Despite these overall improvements, overdose remains the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-44, underscoring the need to continue efforts to sustain this progress," the statement said.
The opioid epidemic in America began in the 1990s, when pharmaceutical companies aggressively marketed painkillers such as OxyContin.
The current wave is fueled by illegally produced fentanyl, which is manufactured primarily in China and imported into the US via Mexico, often mixed with stimulants such as methamphetamine and cocaine. Overdose deaths peaked during the COVID-19 pandemic amid healthcare disruptions and deepening mental health issues. Over the past two decades, more than one million Americans have died from drug overdoses. | BGNES