Drug overdose deaths declined in 2018 after years of increases, according to preliminary government data released Wednesday.
“The latest provisional data on overdose deaths show that America’s united efforts to curb opioid use disorder and addiction are working,” Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said in a statement. “Lives are being saved, and we’re beginning to win the fight against this crisis.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics concluded, based on the provisional data, that overdose deaths declined by 5.1% between 2017 to 2018, the first drop since 1990. The steepest declines occurred primarily in areas that have been hit hardest by the opioid crisis, such as Ohio, Kentucky, South Dakota, and Alaska.
Though overdoses on prescription painkillers had been the primary causes of drug-related deaths since 1990, heroin, followed by fentanyl, overcame them in 2015. Meanwhile, cocaine and methamphetamine overdoses are on the rise. Azar said the Trump administration has enacted wide-reaching policies to try to stem the tide of opioid overdose-related deaths.
For example, medication assisted treatment, which consists of taking an opiate with a shorter half life or fewer psychological effects to curb cravings, is now more common and accessible. Since 2016, the Food and Drug Administration has approved various forms of MATs, including buprenorphine and naloxone, and called on researchers to create additional treatments for opioid use disorder in 2018. More cities are now equipped with naloxone, an opioid overdose-reversal drug, and treatment centers are more widely available than in past years. Since 2017, the Trump administration has awarded over $3 billion in grants to states in order to fund treatment, recovery, and prevention measures.
The fight against drug-related deaths is far from over, Azar said. Overdose deaths from cocaine reached almost 14,000 in 2017, and cocaine production has hit a historic high.
“President Trump and HHS will continue to provide the resources and support communities, families, and individuals in our collective efforts to prevent and treat addiction,” Azar said.
