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U.S. Sees Record 27% Drop in Overdose Deaths in 2024

Fentanyl-related fatalities fell 37%, but experts warn federal budget cuts could jeopardize progress.

A member of the Portland Fire and Rescue Community Health Assess & Treat (CHAT) team pushes a patient into an ambulance for medical care after they were administered Narcan brand Naloxone nasal spray for a suspected fentanyl drug overdose in Portland, Oregon on January 25, 2024.
FILE - Signs are displayed at a tent during a health event on June 26, 2021, in Charleston, W.Va. (AP Photo/John Raby, File)
Aerial view of a camp of the Mexican National Guard recently mounted next to the Mexico-US border as part of Operation Frontera Norte, in eastern Tijuana, Baja California State, Mexico, on February 26, 2025. Mexico on February 4 began moving troops to its northern border as part of a 10,000-member deployment to tighten measures against illegal migration and cross-border smuggling of the drug fentanyl that President Claudia Sheinbaum promised US counterpart Donald Trump in exchange for a delay of his tariffs.

Overview

  • Provisional CDC data shows U.S. drug overdose deaths declined to 80,391 in 2024, the lowest level since 2019, marking a 27% drop from 2023.
  • Fentanyl-related deaths fell by 37%, while fatalities involving psychostimulants and cocaine decreased by 21% and 28%, respectively.
  • Increased naloxone availability, expanded addiction treatment, and $50 billion from opioid settlements are credited as key contributors to the decline.
  • Only South Dakota and Nevada saw slight increases in overdose deaths, while most states, including hard-hit regions like Ohio and West Virginia, experienced significant reductions.
  • Experts caution that proposed federal budget cuts to CDC and SAMHSA programs could reverse these gains, jeopardizing ongoing harm reduction and treatment efforts.