Drug Overdose Deaths Overall Decrease from 2022 to 2023
A recent report from the National Center for Health Statistics found many decreases in drug overdose deaths between 2022 and 2023, though certain subsections remained stable or increased year over year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Vital Statistics System.
“While regional opioid overdoses may be decreasing, some areas and subpopulations are having surges due to the introduction of new drugs,” noted Arwen Podesta, MD, ABPN, psychiatrist at Podesta Wellness in New Orleans, Louisiana. “Although this overall is good news on the opioid front, deaths related to cocaine and other psychostimulants rose during that time.”
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Decrease Trends
Overall, Age-Adjusted. The overall age-adjusted rate of drug overdose deaths decreased 4.0% between 2022 and 2023. Despite the rate (number of deaths per 100,000 population) increasing from 8.9 in 2003 to 32.6 in 2022, the rate decreased to 31.3 in 2023. From 2022 to 2023, the rate of deaths for men decreased by 2.9% from 45.6 to 44.3, while the rate for females decreased by 5.7% from 19.4 to 18.3.
Young and Middle-Aged Adults. In these age groups, there was a period of increase between 2013 and 2022, then rates of drug overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids other than methadone decreased between 2022 and 2023.
Opioids. After seeing an increase between 2013 and 2022, rates of drug overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids decreased between 2022 and 2023. The age-adjusted rate of drug overdose deaths in this drug grouping was mostly stable from 2003 (0.5 death rate) to 2013 (1.0) and then increased through 2021 (21.8), with different rates of change over time. From 2022 to 2023, the rate decreased by 2.2% from 22.7 to 22.2. After no significant change from 2020 to 2021, the age-adjusted rate of drug overdose deaths involving natural and semisynthetic opioids decreased by 17.1% from 3.5 in 2022 to 2.9 in 2023. The age-adjusted rate of drug overdose deaths involving heroin decreased 33.3% from 1.8 in 2022 to 1.2 in 2023.
White People. For White people, the age-adjusted rate of drug overdose deaths decreased by 7.0% from a rate of 35.6 in 2022 to 33.1 in 2023.
However, for some groups, there was a reported increase in drug overdose deaths.
Increase Trends
People of Color. Between 2022 and 2023, rates of drug overdose deaths increased for Black people (47.5 to 48.9) as well as Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander people (18.8 to 26.2). In this same time frame, there was no significant change in death rates for Asian people (5.3 to 5.1), Hispanic people (22.7 to 22.8), or Native American and Alaska Native people (65.2 to 65.0). In both 2022 and 2023, the rate of drug overdose deaths was highest for Native American and Alaska Native people (65.2 and 65.0, respectively) and lowest for Asian people (5.3 and 5.1, respectively). Native Hawaiians or Other Pacific Islanders experienced the largest percentage increase with the rate increasing 39.4%.
Cocaine and Psychostimulants. Increases in rates of drug overdose deaths involving cocaine and psychostimulants with abuse potential began in 2011 and continued through 2023. The rate of drug overdose deaths involving cocaine increased from a rate of 1.8 in 2003 to 2.5 in 2006, decreased to 1.3 in 2010, and then increased to 8.6 in 2023. The rate in 2023 was 4.9% higher than the rate in 2022 (8.2). The drug overdose death rate involving psychostimulants, including methamphetamine, amphetamine, and methylphenidate, was stable between 2003 (0.4) and 2010 (0.6), after which it increased through 2021 (10.0), with different rates of change over time. The rate in 2023 (10.6) was 1.9% higher than the rate in 2022 (10.4).
Methadone. Drug overdose deaths involving methadone stayed the same from 2022 to 2023.
“The data does not clarify the reasons behind these trends or the specific locations affected. We can speculate that enforcement may be improving (reducing availability of synthetic opioids as fentanyl) and that access and availability to life-saving naloxone is helping reverse opioid overdoses, but it is variable by region and demographic,” said Dr Podesta. “The take-home message is: the drug crisis is still a crisis, and ‘it's complicated.’”