Drug overdose deaths are down in the U.S. for the first time since 2018

Drug overdose deaths decreased last year for the first time since 2018, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

The amount of drug deaths from drug overdoses decreased by 3 percentage points between 2022 and 2023. More than 107,000 overdose deaths were recorded during the same time period.

Chief Medical Officer Dr. Deb Houry called the decrease in overdose deaths "heartening," but the agency noted that the data is provisional and subject to change. Provisional data can underestimate the total amount of overdose deaths, the agency says online.