US overdose deaths decline for first time in 5 years as Michigan sees dip, too
The number of people who died as a result of drug overdoses declined by 3% across the nation last year, according to provisional data released Wednesday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It was the first year-over-year decline in overdose deaths since 2018.
In Michigan, overdose deaths were also down 3% in 2023, marking the second straight year the state's overdose deaths dropped.
Because the data is provisional, it will change as more information becomes available. But the newest numbers are important because they show trends in overdose deaths.
They show that while the U.S. may be headed in the right direction, more than 100,000 people a year still die from drug overdoses, which means overdoses still claim more lives annually than gun violence and auto accidents, combined.
In all, the CDC estimated that 107,543 people died from overdoses in 2023, down from an estimated 111,029 in 2022.
In Michigan, the CDC estimated that 2,931 people died from drug overdoses in 2023, down from an estimated 3,027 in 2022.
Experts across the state have credited the increased availability of Narcan, which can reverse opioid overdoses if given correctly and in time. “Michigan is one of the ... states in the country that is not seeing an overall overdose rate increase and it's largely because of that naloxone availability," said Pam Lynch, director of Harm Reduction Michigan, which is based in Traverse City and Petoskey, but does work throughout the state.
Experts have also credited the growing availability of fentanyl test strips, which help drug users determine whether their street drugs are mixed with deadly fentanyl.
While the majority of overdose deaths nationally as well as in Michigan still involved opioids, specifically fentanyl, the ultra-potent synthetic opioid that has infiltrated the street drug supply, those fentanyl-related deaths declined 2% nationally and 3.6% in Michigan
Deaths involving cocaine were up 5.2% nationally and 10% in Michigan.
Deaths involving methamphetamine were up 2% nationally and 3% in Michigan.
Contact Georgea Kovanis: gkovanis@freepress.com
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Drug overdoses in Michigan, US declined in 2023
