Drug overdose deaths fell for first time in five years, though still exceeded 100,000

U.S. drug deaths decreased slightly in 2023, according to new data, the first decrease in five years.

Last year saw 107,543 U.S. drug overdose deaths, according to preliminary statistics released Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, roughly a 3% drop from 2022.

The decrease could provide a glimmer of hope amid an otherwise devastating drug overdose crisis. Americans are still dying at near-record rates, thanks in large part to a toxic drug supply dominated by fentanyl and a surge in poly-substance deaths that result from simultaneous use of opioids and stimulants like methamphetamine or cocaine.

But after steady increases for the past several decades, any decrease is welcome news, even if the end of the drug crisis is nowhere near. Some public health officials and parts of the Biden administration have stressed the more positive aspects of recent data, for example touting the “flattening” of drug overdose deaths in 2022 — when drug death rates were merely increasing slowly.

Some states had greater cause for celebration, particularly in the central U.S.: Nebraska, Kansas, and Indiana, as well as Maine, all experienced overall drug death decreases of 15% or more. The Pacific Northwest, meanwhile, fared far worse, according to a CDC summary: Alaska, Washington, and Oregon all saw increases of at least 27%.

The CDC’s early data from 2023 showed virtually no change in overall opioid deaths, a slight decrease in deaths involving fentanyl, and slight increases in deaths involving meth or cocaine. The agency warned that the data, which was compiled by the National Center for Health Statistics, was incomplete and subject to change.

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