A new report states fatalities had decreased by 10% as of April 2024 while 911 first-responder calls were 16.7% lower
Experts have welcomed news of a reported drop in overdose deaths in the US and say they are cautiously optimistic about the downward trend, while warning that more work and extra resources will be needed to sustain progress.
Overdose deaths in the US have dropped by about 10%, the largest decline in decades – falling to an estimated 101,168 deaths annually as of April 2024, according to an analysis of state-level data.
Emergency room visits for overdose are down by 24% and 911 first-responder calls for overdoses are down by 16.7%. Some of the biggest changes are being seen in eastern states, while some states in the west are still struggling with higher rates.
We’ve had a lot of huge fentanyl busts in Southern California, hopefully similar elsewhere. Narcan has become more available (I get them from a donation based non profit and have handed out over 60, with one friend using 3 to save a guy). The Biden administration has also been working to limit the sale of precursors, most of which come from china. It’s also possible the cartels have throttled back because they were killing too many of their customers. I’d say it’s some combination of all those.