A new study says the turning point in America’s drug overdose crisis came in August 2023, when the national drug overdose death rate began to decline. This marks a shift after two decades of increase. The study tracked over 800,000 drug overdose deaths from 2015 to 2024 and found that the current overdose death rate remains higher than any time since the mid-1800s.
Researchers say efforts to stem illicit drug supplies likely contributed to the decline. The Midwest was the first region to show improvement in 2022, a year before the national average. However, the West’s overdose death rate didn’t start slowing down until 2024, two years later than other regions.
Lead researcher Lori Post warns that while this is an encouraging trend, drug overdose deaths are still near historic highs. “Even with this promising decline, things are better but not good,” she said. The study did not examine the exact causes of the turnaround, but suggests further research is needed to identify what worked and prevent a loss of progress.
The data show that different regions experienced distinct outbreaks and recovery times due to variations in when they were exposed to fentanyl. This highlights the need for targeted strategies to address the ongoing epidemic.
Source: https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2025-06-16/turnaround-month-in-u-s-od-death-crisis-pinpointed-by-researchers