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Huge drop in US overdose deaths, marking progress in opioid crisis
The Straits Times
|May 16, 2025
US drug overdose deaths fell sharply in 2024 to their lowest level in five years, offering hope in the nation's long-running opioid crisis, new data showed on May 14.
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WASHINGTON - US drug overdose deaths fell sharply in 2024 to their lowest level in five years, offering hope in the nation's long-running opioid crisis, new data showed on May 14.
An estimated 80,391 people died from drug overdoses in 2024—a 27 per cent drop from the 110,035 deaths recorded the year before and the lowest level since 2019.
Deaths involving the synthetic opioid fentanyl—the primary driver of the current epidemic—also plunged, from roughly 76,000 in 2023, to 48,422 in 2024. Only two states, South Dakota and Nevada, saw increases.
This story is from the May 16, 2025 edition of The Straits Times.
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