| Hans-Günter Meyer-Thompson | International
USA. The Overdose Crisis May Be Easing. Addiction Is Not
USA. The Overdose Crisis May Be Easing. Addiction Is Not.
The U.S. has seen the largest recorded decline in opioid deaths, yet few are resting easy.
According to new federal estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drug overdose deaths in the United States fell nearly 27% in 2024, dropping from more than 110,000 deaths the year before to roughly 80,391. Deaths involving synthetic opioids like fentanyl declined nearly 37%, from more than 76,000 to roughly 48,400 deaths.
These are the kind of numbers that would usually trigger a national victory lap. Instead, many public health experts seem to be treating them less as a triumph than a reason for cautious optimism. (Forbes, USA, 21.05.2026)