In 2024, the number of fatal drug overdoses in the United States fell by 27%, reaching the lowest level seen since before the COVID-19 pandemic. According to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, just over 80,000 people died from overdoses last year, a significant decline from the previous year. Experts point to wider access to naloxone, a medication that reverses opioid overdoses, and $50 billion in opioid settlement funds used for treatment, prevention, and education as key reasons for the drop. Efforts to stop drug shipments at the borders with Mexico and Canada also contributed.

Several states saw notable improvements, including Louisiana, Ohio, West Virginia, and Michigan. Only Nevada and South Dakota experienced increases in overdose deaths. Despite the overall decline, fentanyl remains the deadliest drug in the U.S., causing around 48,500 overdose deaths in 2024. Fentanyl is extremely powerful and often mixed with other drugs without users knowing, increasing the risk of accidental death.

The pandemic made the overdose crisis worse, as stress, isolation, and economic difficulties led more people to use drugs while addiction treatment became harder to access. Since 1999, opioid overdoses have claimed over one million lives in America. Fentanyl is cheaper and stronger than heroin or morphine, and its synthetic nature makes it easy to produce with chemicals from countries such as China. It is commonly found mixed into methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin.

The current U.S. administration has taken steps to combat the crisis by expanding access to naloxone and funding fentanyl test strip distribution. While previous administrations have also addressed the problem, funding and policy approaches have varied. Experts warn that although the recent decline is encouraging, the overdose risk remains high. Before fentanyl became widespread, about one in every 5.5 overdoses was fatal. Now the rate is closer to one in every 2.5.