News: U.S. Overdose Deaths Plummet, Saving Thousands of Lives (NPR)

NPR Exclusive: U.S. Overdose Deaths Plummet, Saving Thousands Of Lives.

According to NPR (9/18, Mann, 3.69M), state level public health data, “for the first time in decades,” may point to “a sudden and hopeful drop in drug overdose deaths across the US.”

University of North Carolina researcher Dr. Nabarun Dasgupta posted data he said show that “in the states that have the most rapid data collection systems, we’re seeing declines of twenty percent, thirty percent.”

NIDA Director Dr. Nora Volkow called the decline “exciting,” adding, “This looks real. This looks very, very real.” Volkow said, “Expansion of naloxone and medications for opioid use disorder – these strategies worked.” NPR adds that CDC survey data previously showed “an unprecedented decline in drug deaths of roughly 10.6 percent.”

For more information, check out the Opioid Data Lab blog post, “Are overdoses down and why?”