Friday Fact

According to estimates from the CDC, the number of overdose deaths declined in 48 states between 2023 and 2024, representing a 26.9% decline. This is equivalent to 81 fewer overdose deaths every day throughout the year. The CDC estimated that there were 80,391 overdose deaths in 2024, down from 110,037 in 2023. Overdose deaths peaked in the 12-month period […]

A recent study in JAMA Health Forum, based on a national survey with 1,515 respondents, found that 10.96% of Americans aged 18 or older reported nonprescription opioid use and 7.52% reported use of illegally manufactured fentanyl (IMF) in the past 12 months. The survey, led by researchers at RAND and the University of Southern California, was conducted in […]

A recent report from the Office of the Inspector General, within the federal Department of Health and Human Services, found that “in 2023, about 1.2 million Medicare enrollees had a diagnosis of opioid use disorder. Yet just 229,993 of these enrollees—18.7 percent—received medication for opioid use disorder.” This percentage “represents several years of minimal growth.” […]

A recent study in JAMA Psychiatry titled, “Estimated Number of Children Who Lost a Parent to Drug Overdose in the US From 2011 to 2021” estimated that 321,566 children lost a parent to a drug overdose.   The study estimated annual rates of children, by race, who lost a parent to a drug overdose from […]

A study published last month in Addiction examined trends in substance-related emergency department visits in California from 2016 to 2022: Report Highlights: The researchers explained, “these findings represent a concerning trend, especially given growing public perception that hallucinogens are low-risk and as rates of use continue to grow.”

Report Highlights: In the span of two years, from 2020 to 2022, there has been a concerning rise in overdose deaths attributed to various drugs across several states in the western United States. The statistics, sourced from the CDC’s WONDER database, reveal a distressing trend: Oregon’s radical policy, Measure 110, which decriminalized the possession of […]