BOSTON — The number of Americans who die of drug overdoses has dropped substantially in the last two years as states embrace new strategies to reduce threats posed by new synthetic drugs, in a sharp break with the say-no-to-drugs strategies of the 1990s and 2000s.
Provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show the number of overdose deaths dropped by 25.9% in 2024, a decline that equates to 80 lives saved every day. Forty-seven of 50 states have registered dropping rates of overdose deaths, led by Appalachian and Rust Belt states that were hit hardest during the apex of the crisis during the coronavirus pandemic.
Already a subscriber? Sign in