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Experts Puzzled as Drug Overdose Deaths Suddenly Start Dropping
Scientists are watching in disbelief as drug overdose deaths in the US are suddenly starting to drop off a cliff.

Experts are watching in disbelief as drug overdose deaths in the US are suddenly starting to drop, bucking a long and tragic rise.
As NPR reports, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found reported drug overdose deaths plummeted by over 12 percent between April 2023 and April 2024 in the US. In Ohio alone — a state with among the highest drug death rates in the country — overdose deaths are down a stunning 31 percent so far this year.
"In the states that have the most rapid data collection systems, we’re seeing declines of twenty percent, thirty percent," University of North Carolina street drugs expert Nabarun Dasgupta told NPR.
It's good that it's happening, no matter the reason.The drop is a triumph, because overdose deaths in the US have steadily rising for decades. And despite the most recent drop-off, around 100,000 people are still dying per year — a numbing tragedy that has experts warning we shouldn't get too optimistic just yet.
There's also the issue that researchers are struggling to explain what's behind the decline.