Gabe Evans: Investments In Substance Abuse Prevention Programs Were Credited With Reducing Overdose Deaths In The United States

Overdose Deaths In The United States Fell By Nearly 25% From 2023 To 2024

According To The CDC, Overdose Deaths In The United States Fell By Nearly 25% From 2023 To 2024. “The 2024 drug fatality data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed a striking and encouraging trend: Overdose deaths in the United States fell by nearly 25% from 2023 to 2024. This dramatic decline marks real progress toward a key goal of the National Drug Control Strategy—one that seemed nearly out of reach just a few years ago. Policy reforms that removed barriers to evidence-based care through the expansion of syringe services programs (and related health hubs), naloxone distribution, and access to evidence-based medications for opioid use disorder all contributed to this decrease.” [Brookings, 7/21/25]

Experts Said Continuing And Expanding Federal Funding For Overdose Prevention Effort Was The Best Way To Continue To Reduce Overdoses

Hanna Sharif-Kazemi, The Federal Policy Manager For The Drug Policy Alliance, Said The Best Way To Build On The Progress Made In Reducing Overdose Deaths Was To Continue And Expand Federal Funding For Overdose Prevention Efforts. “’These combined cuts could ‘dismantle essential services,’ Hanna Sharif-Kazemi, the federal policy manager for the Drug Policy Alliance, told CBS News. The DPA is a non-profit agency based in New York City that seeks to reduce overdose deaths with harm reduction and evidence-based methodology…Sharif-Kazemi said the best way to build on the progress made in reducing overdose deaths is to continue and even expand federal funding for overdose prevention efforts. That could include expanded access to naloxone, she said, as well as better access to medication-assisted treatment, which Trump has previously pushed for, and the expansion of rehabilitation facilities. It could also include more funding for harm reduction strategies, like testing strips that allow people to check if drugs are contaminated with fentanyl.” [CBS News, 5/8/25]

Brookings Noted “Any Strategy That Emphasizes Supply Reduction To The Exclusion Of Other Proven Public Health Approaches To Substance Use Will Not Decrease Overdose Deaths And Other Harms, And In Fact, May Increase Fatality”

Brookings: “Any Strategy That Emphasizes Supply Reduction To The Exclusion Of Other Proven Public Health Approaches To Substance Use Will Not Decrease Overdose Deaths And Other Harms, And In Fact, May Increase Fatality.” “Any strategy that emphasizes supply reduction to the exclusion of other proven public health approaches to substance use will not decrease overdose deaths and other harms, and in fact, may increase fatality. As the recently released National Drug Threat Assessment has shown, other synthetic drugs, including xylazine, are increasingly showing up in our drug supply. The synthetic drug xylazine is not an opioid, but fentanyl adulterated or associated with xylazine was declared an emerging drug threat in 2023 because of the geographically widespread, serious harms associated with its use. However, proposals to eliminate data systems like the Drug Abuse Warning Network will limit our ability to spot emerging trends.” [Brookings, 7/21/25]