‘Unprecedented’ decline in US drug overdose deaths gives experts hope
‘Unprecedented’ decline in US drug overdose deaths gives experts hope
A new report states fatalities had decreased by 10% as of April 2024 while 911 first-responder calls were 16.7% lower
A new report states fatalities had decreased by 10% as of April 2024 while 911 first-responder calls were 16.7% lower
Experts have welcomed news of a reported drop in overdose deaths in the US and say they are cautiously optimistic about the downward trend, while warning that more work and extra resources will be needed to sustain progress.
Overdose deaths in the US have dropped by about 10%, the largest decline in decades – falling to an estimated 101,168 deaths annually as of April 2024, according to an analysis of state-level data.
Emergency room visits for overdose are down by 24% and 911 first-responder calls for overdoses are down by 16.7%. Some of the biggest changes are being seen in eastern states, while some states in the west are still struggling with higher rates.
I feel like the wide and often free availability of narcan and improved quality of safer drugs like weed are making a difference.
Hell Yes! There’s been a huge ad campaign in my city about Narcan: how it works, how to spot symptoms, how to administer it, and where to get it for free.
I have two things of narcan and neither my partner nor myself have ever done opiates. It’s a good thing to have!
I test my other stuff but there’s always a chance for a random hot spot.
While the reasons for the decline are not immediately clear, researchers and those on the frontlines believe it is driven by changes in the drug supply as well as improved access to treatment and harm reduction programs. [...]
But she also highlighted the continued – and increasingly unequal – death toll from the overdose crisis when it comes to who in society is affected the most.
“It’s also important to acknowledge that progress has not been equal for all groups,” she said. “Unfortunately, for the most affected groups, namely Native Americans and Black American men, the death rates are not decreasing and are at the highest recorded levels.”
People can barely afford to eat, too. Lack of income for the general American is going to impact all areas, not just dining out and jewelry.
What? Since when has the average addict made income, economy or GDP part if the calculus of if they should acquire the next fix or not?
This is either veiled sarcasm or you're missing something fundamental about how addiction and motivation interoperate.
It doesn't matter how addicted you are if theres not enough money moving. Pawn shops are offering less and less like they always do during recessions and drugs are just getting more expensive besides cannabis.
COVID isn't mentioned, but I would not be surprised if all the anxiety and social isolation from COVID drove up overdose deaths for at least a couple of years.
Buh buh buh cum-all-uh and deh fentunawll numburz
We’ve had a lot of huge fentanyl busts in Southern California, hopefully similar elsewhere. Narcan has become more available (I get them from a donation based non profit and have handed out over 60, with one friend using 3 to save a guy). The Biden administration has also been working to limit the sale of precursors, most of which come from china. It’s also possible the cartels have throttled back because they were killing too many of their customers. I’d say it’s some combination of all those.