Overdose deaths fell by 30,000 last year — declining in every state except two
Overdose deaths in the U.S. plummeted by nearly 30,000 year-on-year - the largest decline ever recorded.
An estimated 80,391 people died from drugs in 2024, according to provisional Centers for Disease Control and prevention data. That marks a decrease of 27 percent from the 110,000 deaths reported in 2023.
'I would characterize this as a historically significant decrease in overdose deaths,' Brandon Marshall, a Brown University School of Public Health epidemiologist, told The Washington Post. 'We're really seeing decreases almost across the entire nation at this point.'
Deaths fell in all states but two: Nevada and South Dakota. They declined in all major categories of drug use, including stimulants and opioids.
The health agency credited President Donald Trump's actions during his first term, saying that Congressional support since 2017 has enabled it to expand critical data systems and strengthen overdose prevention capacity across all states.
Notably, the overdose-reversing drug naloxone has become more widely available.
'These investments have empowered us to rapidly collect, analyze, and share actionable data — enabling communities to better understand the specific drivers of overdose in their area and tailor prevention strategies to meet their unique local needs,' the agency added. 'Since late 2023, overdose deaths have steadily declined each month — a strong sign that public health interventions are making a difference and having a meaningful impact.'
However, overdose remains the leading cause of death for American adults between the ages of 18 to 44, the CDC noted, 'underscoring the need for ongoing efforts to maintain this progress.'
Annual overdose deaths are still higher than they were before the Covid pandemic, and a recent study revealed that a quarter of children in the U.S. have at least one parent with a substance use disorder.
The announcement also comes following major cuts to federal funding and research at the hand of the Trump administration, sparking concern among researchers.
'I don't see how it can be sustained, with the kinds of deep cuts that they're taking to many of the programs that have been driving these reductions,' Traci C. Green, an epidemiologist at Brandeis University, told The New York Times.
'Now is not the time to take the foot off the gas pedal,' Dr. Daniel Ciccarone, a drug policy expert at the University of California, San Francisco, said.
With reporting by The Associated Press
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
36 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Keeping children safe during the pool season
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Drowning is the leading cause of unintentional death for children ages 1 to 4. It's the second leading cause of unintentional deaths for children ages 5 to 14. This information comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A national nonprofit wants to bring an end to unintentional drownings. It's called the ZAC Foundation. The foundation was established in 2008. The founders, Karen and Brian Cohn, suffered the loss of their six-year-old son, Zachary, in a pool drain entrapment in their backyard swimming pool. Megan Ferraro is the executive director of the ZAC Foundation. She is also the chair of the U.S. National Water Safety Action Plan. She spoke about the developing action plan being designed in Austin and Central Texas to keep children safe during the summer season. There were 103 drownings in Texas in 2024. Ferraro spoke about the role parents play in making sure their children are safe. The simple and easy-to-do safety tips begin with keeping your toddler/child within arm's reach and making sure you're watching them at all times. If you have a pool at home, make sure there is appropriate fencing of some variety around the pool and lock it when the pool is not in use to prevent the young ones from getting in and falling into the water. Ferraro talked about the importance of getting your children swimming lessons, and, if needed, swimming lessons for yourself if you don't know how to swim. The ZAC Foundation's commitment to keeping children safe is enhanced through a partnership with community partners, such as the Boys and Girls Clubs, to provide ZAC camps. The goal? To ensure these organizations have a drowning prevention action plan to reduce, if not eliminate, drowning rates. The ZAC Foundation has an informative website that offers tips to prevent drowning, and safety precautions for all child age groups from infant to toddler to teen. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
37 minutes ago
- Yahoo
It Sure Seems Like One Key GOP Vote Regrets Appointing RFK Jr.
Senator Bill Cassidy promised the American people that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. would not make any changes to the CDC's vaccine advisory committee when he cast his decisive confirmation vote for the HHS secretary. But on Monday RFK Jr. scrapped the board entirely, leaving Cassidy scrambling to explain himself and his vote. 'Of course, now the fear is that the ACIP will be filled up with people who know nothing about vaccines except suspicion,' Cassidy posted on X after Kennedy explained his rationale in a Wall Street Journal op-ed. 'I've just spoken with Secretary Kennedy, and I'll continue to talk with him to ensure this is not the case.' When asked what he said specifically to Kennedy to 'ensure' that the immunization advisory committee wouldn't be run by anti-vaxers, Cassidy went mum. 'I'd rather just characterize it as: we had a conversation,' he told Semafor's Burgess Everett on Tuesday. When Burgess asked if Cassidy was 'still comfortable' with voting to confirm RFK Jr. in February, Cassidy replied 'I'd rather not comment on that.' During the confirmation process Cassidy explicitly guaranteed that 'If confirmed, [RFK Jr.] will maintain the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices without changes.' Either Cassidy was lying, or RFK Jr. was lying to Cassidy. Now all of the other promises that Cassidy made on RFK's behalf—like not making false claims about vaccines causing autism, or even appearing before Congress on a quarterly basis—are moot. Cassidy claimed that he studied his decision to confirm Kennedy 'exhaustively' and took it 'very seriously.' It's clear that Cassidy's words meant nothing as Kennedy guts a key institution of our national health apparatus.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Senators grill NIH director on massive budget cuts
National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya faced critical questions from both Republican and Democratic senators Tuesday as he sought to defend the Trump administration's sweeping plans to reorganize the agency and slash budgets for medical research. Senate Appropriations Chairwoman Susan Collins (R-ME) swiftly criticized the current budget cuts and proposed changes, including a nearly 40% reduction to the National Institute of Aging's spending and 40% overall cuts to the agency's institutes. 'As the senator representing … the oldest state in the nation, this is a particular concern,' Collins said. 'I know personally what it means to so many American families.' The senator also said caps on indirect spending for universities are 'so poorly conceived' and have harmed U.S. medical research. 'It is leading to scientists leaving the United States for opportunities in other countries. It's causing clinical trials to be halted and promising medical research to be abandoned.' A federal court has paused the 15% cap on payments for indirect costs, but the administration assumed savings from the change in its 2026 fiscal year budget. Bhattacharya defended certain administrative changes while distancing himself from others, such as a pause on Northwestern University's grant funding, saying certain terminations happened before he assumed his role. In answering Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) about overall cuts, Bhattacharya took responsibility for other sweeping grant cancellations. 'There's changes in priorities at the NIH to move away from politicized science, I made those decisions,' he said. The hearing room was filled with purple-garbed advocates for Alzheimer's disease research and representatives of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network dressed in light blue. Baldwin harshly criticized the proposed $18 billion reduction to the NIH's total spending, saying cuts will resonate as the NIH funds 15,000 fewer medical research projects. 'While I think Congress will reject your budget request, it clearly shows the administration's intent,' Baldwin said. 'How is this proposal anything but intentionally sabotaging biomedical research?' Bhattacharya said he is 'happy to work with Congress' on the budget and more flexible spending on medical research.