Products - Vital Statistics Rapid Release - Provisional Drug Overdose Data

Products - Vital Statistics Rapid Release - Provisional Drug Overdose Data

Overdose deaths have fallen for six months

THE CIRCLES SHOW PREDICTED TOTALS, AND THE BLACK LINE SHOWS REPORTED TOTALS. (CDC)

Fatal drug overdoses have fallen for six months in a row and are down 2.8 percent from their peak, according to the latest preliminary federal data. While it's too soon to know whether the curve of fatal drug overdoses is cresting for good or if this is just a blip, experts said they hope that recent policy changes and initiatives that aimed to expand addiction treatment, reduce new incidents of substance use disorders, and prevent fatal overdoses are having an impact. But they also caution that there have been previous slowdowns in overdose deaths that were only temporary.