US drug overdose deaths decreased in 2023 for the first time in five years

After a steep rise during the Covid-19 pandemic, preliminary data shows that drug overdose deaths in the United States ticked down in 2023 for the first time in five years.

After a steep rise during the Covid-19 pandemic, preliminary data shows that drug overdose deaths in the United States ticked down in 2023 for the first time in five years. About 107,500 people died from a drug overdose in 2023, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics — about 3,500 fewer than in 2022. Last year’s decrease is the first since 2018, but the 3% drop is far less substantial than the surges that pushed overdose deaths to record levels in recent years. Overdose deaths spiked 30% between 2019 and 2020 and rose another 15% between 2020 and 2021, CDC data shows. Preliminary data is subject to change as death certificates are reviewed and records are assessed, but estimates suggest that, despite the decline, overdose deaths in 2023 were still almost twice as high as they were five years ago, according to the CDC data. “It is a hopeful trend in some ways,” said Dr. Katherine Keyes, a professor at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health whose research focuses on substance use epidemiology. “We know that this drug epidemic is dynamic and changes quite quickly, so any time you see a leveling off or a slight decrease, it is promising. It is certainly not a sign that we need to take the foot off the gas of overdose prevention.” The US Department of Health and Human Services launched a coordinated national strategy to prevent overdoses two years ago.