Drug overdose deaths drop in United States for third year in a row

Experts cite range of factors as overdose deaths drop to nearly 70,000 in 2025, a 14 percent decline over the previous year.The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released data showing that deaths from drug overdoses fell by nearly 14 percent in 2025, continuing a third consecutive year of decline.The data released on Wednesday shows that the US saw nearly 70,000 predicted overdose deaths in 2025, down from more than 81,000 in 2024.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3As fentanyl crisis evolves, experts say US is still ‘behind the eight ball’list 2 of 3Amid Trump threats, what has the US’s ‘war on drugs’ achieved in 50 years?list 3 of 3Was Nicolas Maduro ‘flooding’ the US with fentanyl, as White House claims?end of listThe downward trend has been welcomed in the US, which has struggled with a devastating overdose crisis fuelled largely by synthetic opioids.Overdose deaths peaked during the COVID-19 pandemic, with 110,000 recorded in 2022, a surge associated with social isolation and obstacles to accessing treatment services.“I’m cautiously optimistic that this represents really a fundamental change in the arc of the overdose crisis,” Brandon Marshall, a Brown University researcher who studies overdose trends, told The Associated Press news service.Experts have attributed the decline to various factors, such as wider availability of the overdose treatment naloxone, commonly sold under the brand Narcan.Testing strips that can detect fentanyl are also more common now, and regulatory changes in China have limited access to the chemicals used to manufacture the drug.While overdose deaths declined in most US states in 2025, seven states saw increases. In Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico, overdose deaths increased by 10 percent or more.The administration of President Donald Trump, however, has pointed to the decrease overall as validation of its crackdown on drug trafficking. In a statement earlier this month, the White House said that drug overdoses continue to be one of the country’s “most urgent public health challenges”.