July 6, 2026- After more than a decade of steady increases driven largely by illicit fentanyl, U.S. overdose deaths have begun to shift – underscoring both progress and continued risk. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), overdose deaths climbed sharply from 2013 through 2022, peaking at nearly 110,000 deaths. Synthetic opioids, primarily fentanyl, accounted for the majority of those fatalities. But beginning in mid-2023, the trend started to change. Provisional data shows overdose deaths declined significantly in 2024 – marking the largest drop ever recorded – with synthetic opioid deaths falling by more than one-third compared to the previous year.
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