As drug experts parse the data trying to understand the factors that could contribute to a sudden drop in overdose deaths, harm reductionists in western North Carolina work to stave off a possible spike in overdoses after the destruction brought by Hurricane Helene.

U.S. drug overdose deaths are on pace to fall to the lowest levels since 2020, according to new provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a hopeful milestone amid efforts to stem the epidemic. Provisional data had showed a slight decline for 2023, but the numbers released Wednesday showed that decline…

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a 14% decrease in drug overdose deaths from June 2023 to June 2024, marking the first decline in decades. States such as North Carolina, Ohio, and Virginia saw the largest decreases.

Overdose deaths declined for the second year in a row, fanning health experts’ hopes that the opioid crisis could be turning around.

Experts are unsure as to what is causing the decline, which saw deaths decrease by some 14% between June 2023 and 2024.

New government data shows that U.S. drug overdose deaths appear to be showing a sustained decline. There were about 97,000 overdose deaths in the 12-month period that ended June 30.

U.S. drug overdose deaths are on pace to fall to the lowest levels since 2020, according to new provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a hopeful milestone amid efforts to stem the epidemic.