U.S. drug deaths declined slightly in 2023 but remained at crisis levels

August 15, 2024  By America-Today

Preliminary data released Wednesday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found fatal drug overdoses in the U.S. fell by roughly 3% in 2023.

That is a significant reversal from previous years, when street fentanyl and other toxic synthetic drugs including methamphetamines sparked an unprecedented surge in drug deaths.

But the toll from the overdose crisis in 2023 remained devastatingly high, claiming 107,543 lives.

That compares with 111,029 overdose deaths in 2022. Drug deaths in 2023 remained above the 106,699 fatalities recorded by the CDC in 2021.

Before the explosion of fentanyl and methamphetamine use, the U.S. suffered far fewer overdose deaths — roughly 53,356 fatalities, for example, in 2015.

"We are encouraged to see the preliminary data that shows a decrease in the overdose death rate for the first time in five years, especially following the period of rapid double-digit increases from 2019-2021," said White House drug control policy director, Dr. Rahul Gupta in a statement.

The CDC's chief medical officer Deb Houry noted in a statement that despite the decline, "there are still families and friends losing their loved ones to drug overdoses at staggering numbers." But she added, "progress over the last 12 months should make us want to reinvigorate our efforts knowing that our strategies are making a difference."

Synthetic pills continue to flood the U.S.

In a statement released last week as part of the U.S. National Drug Threat Assessment for 2024, the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Anne Milgram, said the overdose crisis remains perilous.

"The shift from plant-based drugs, like heroin and cocaine, to synthetic, chemical-based drugs, like fentanyl and methamphetamine, has resulted in the most dangerous and deadly drug crisis the United States has ever faced," Milgram said.

A separate report published Monday in the International Journal of Drug Policy found that fentanyl — often in the form of counterfeit prescription pain pills — continues to flood U.S. communities.