Fatal overdoses are down in the U.S. for only the second time in 30 years. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently reported an annual decline in fatal drug overdoses in 2023. While the final figures have not been determined, many experts are cautiously optimistic, sharing their thoughts on the different factors that could have led to this fortunate turn of events.
Persistent Increase in Drug Deaths For Over 30 Years
The U.S. has been facing a drug death epidemic for more than three decades. For most of those years, there has been a persistent increase in drug deaths. The year 2023 may be an exception.
The CDC announcement came with the caveat that the data is still provisional and subject to change. Regardless of changes to the final figures, officials do anticipate a drop in deaths due to drug overdose.
Expert Reactions Mixed, Too Soon To Make the Call
While some are eager to celebrate any movement in the right direction, other experts are reacting cautiously. Some suggest that the decline is due to a “leveling off” rather than a true trend line showing a lasting decline in drug overdose deaths. A previous decline, the one other decline on records, occurred in 2018, after which overdose fatalities surged again.
Researchers Reserve Opinion on Whether the Figures are Anomalies or New Trend Line
Brown University researcher Brandon Marshall echoes the cautious optimism presented by the 2023 decline in overdose fatalities. He is not yet willing to conclude that the report reveals a long-term trend. It would take a few annual decreases to signify a long-term downward trend.
Factors That Could Lead to Long Term Decrease
Researchers have yet to determine the factors involved in a potential decline in drug fatalities. They point to possible variables, including changes within the drug supply, increased access to preventative education and social services, improved addiction treatments, widespread access to overdose reversal medications, or perhaps the fact that many drug-addicted individuals have already succumbed to their addiction, reducing the pool of those addicted to drugs.
Impact on Relatives Affected by Drug Deaths
The numbers of drug fatalities are staggering, especially when considering the consequences on family members. A published psychiatry study revealed that over 321,000 children lost a parent to a drug overdose between the years 2011-2021. This figure is also an indicator of the future drug use and mental health of that population of children.
Evolution in Deadliest Drugs
The current overdose crisis can be traced to an increase in addiction to prescription painkillers. After the painkiller addiction, the trend morphed into a heroin epidemic, causing the greatest number of fatal overdoses. After heroin, illegal fentanyl consumption became the main killer in fatal overdoses. Fentanyl is an opioid painkiller and is frequently found mixed with other illegal substances, increasing risks to users.
Evolution in Method Used to Abuse Drug
In the past, fentanyl use was largely via injection. Presently, users smoke the substance or consume it in pill form. Due to the evolution of the substance, law enforcement, and public health officials have difficulty eliminating the substance from widespread access.
Increased Seizures of Fentanyl Pills in Recent Years
Despite these challenges, law enforcement has become proficient at seizing pills containing fentanyl. Nationally, law enforcement seized 115 million pills in 2023, which was dramatically up from 44 million pills in 2022. Experts estimate that this vast increase is due to the increased prevalence of fentanyl-laced pills rather than law enforcement expediency in eliminating the threat from the illicit drug supply.
Eastern States Have Decrease in Fatalities While West Sees Increase
While the U.S. as a whole may have seen a decline in overdose deaths, the numbers are not evenly distributed across the country. States in the Eastern United States tended to see decreases in overdose deaths, while western states, including Alaska, Washington, and Oregon, suffered increased fatalities.
Time a Factor in Regional Differences
Experts have suggested that the eastern states, which had been dealing with the fentanyl crisis for almost a decade, had , therefore , seen greater success in their prevention efforts. Western states have encountered fentanyl on a wide scale only more recently. This may explain some of the regional differences in the fatal overdose patterns.
Explanations for Decreases Based on Modes of Use
Some researchers explain the decrease in fatal overdoses by referring to the more recent modes of use. They posit, for example, that the more recent form of smoking opioids, rather than injecting them, is less lethal, resulting in lower overdose deaths.
Public Private Partnerships Supporting Reducing Drug Fatalities
States and the federal government are working to find the best means to combat the overdose fatality crisis in the country. Governments have dedicated more funding for a wide variety of resources, from law enforcement enhancements to addiction treatments, drug overdose reversal medications, and specialized drug courts. Funding and resources come from legal settlements with drugmakers, wholesalers, and pharmacies.
Law Enforcement and Medical Professionals Remain Hopeful For End to Overdose Fatality Epidemic
University of California, San Francisco Dr. Daniel Ciccarone remains hopeful that the CDC data showing decreased fatal overdoses in 2023 is the first of many points in a downward trend line. Governments and communities across the country are invested in ending the drug epidemic in the 21st century.
