Overdose deaths around the nation appear to have dropped as much as 13%, according to recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In California, the numbers reveal a slower drop. From May 2023 to May 2024, state overdose deaths seem to have decreased by around 9%.
However, the projection is based on preliminary data that’s far from finalized.
Local experts say it’s too early to tell what the drop means for the state and more specifically for Los Angeles.
As California’s most populated county, L.A. has had the highest number of deaths compared to other areas in the state for years — an issue that’s disproportionately affected marginalized communities.
The national stats
Joseph Friedman, a physician and a substance use researcher at the University of California San Diego, said the national news is encouraging.
“Obviously, we don’t want to jump to conclusions and kind of determine that prematurely, but it really does appear to be a real thing,” he said.
Friedman, who tracks rapid shifts in the overdose crisis, said there may be several reasons for the reduction in deaths.
Some researchers say the fentanyl supply is getting less deadly. Another impetus could be the strategy known as harm reduction, which is a drug prevention approach that aims to meet people with addiction where they’re at. In recent years, local governments have done more to provide free overdose reversal agents like naloxone.
Still another cause may be simply that the crisis is so severe that many people who use fentanyl and other opioids are dying off.
Why it’s not clear in California
It’s hard to know right now if the…
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