Drug Policy Alliance

Fact Sheet: What’s Reducing Overdose Deaths? Public Health Interventions Play a Critical Role. - Drug Policy Alliance U.S. overdose deaths dropped ~27% in 2024. Learn why they declined, including health-based approaches to drugs that are currently at risk.

Read our factsheet for a deeper dive into what's causing overdose decreases, and how to prevent more deaths: drugpolicy.org/resource/fac...

Protect our loved ones and keep them alive. Public health strategies must be prioritized to reduce overdose deaths. Diplomacy is more effective than warfare when it comes to the drug supply.

80,000 people died of overdose in 2024, and people who use drugs are still at risk of preventable drug-related harms like HIV, painful abscesses, and cardiovascular problems.

While overdose rates have declined, there are still too many people dying. This cannot become the new normal.

The current administration cut trillions from healthcare & overdose prevention, while spending billions on warfare, violent military escalation, & enforcement-first strategies. This tradeoff has real impacts: treatment & prevention programs close, healthcare costs soar, international tensions rise.

To keep overdose deaths going down, we need to fund health solutions that work. But progress is at risk.

What also drove overdose decrease?
* Diplomatic coordination w/China to regulate/restrict online sales of fentanyl precursor chemicals, a step that reduced fentanyl potency in the U.S.

What drove overdose decrease?
* Health interventions like naloxone (reverses opioid overdose), methadone & buprenorphine (reduce opioid cravings/withdrawal), & addiction treatment
* Youth prevention & other overdose prevention efforts

Overdose deaths in the U.S. dropped 27% in 2024, thanks to expanded access to health & prevention strategies, & diplomatic coordination. Declines began in 2023 under Biden, & have continued. But the current administration’s focus on enforcement over care puts progress at risk. Let's dive in... 🧵

Methadone reduces opioid cravings & withdrawal symptoms, all while cutting overdose risk in half. But getting it requires near-daily visits to an opioid treatment program (OTP) - and 80% of counties in the U.S. don’t have one. Promoting recovery and saving lives must include methadone access.

“We've seen the failures of prohibition. The path forward isn't a return to criminalization, but smarter, more unified regulation that reins in corporate influence and keeps people, not profit, at the center of policy.”
-Kassandra Frederique
Executive Director of the Drug Policy Alliance

"That’s why we must closely track where cannabis tax revenues are invested and ensure that communities most targeted and harmed by past marijuana criminalization receive meaningful reinvestment in priorities like parks, treatment services, education, and job training.

“Marijuana criminalization has impacted all communities, but not equally. Due to targeted enforcement, Black, Latino, Native, and low-income communities have experienced higher arrest rates, harsher penalties, and long-term barriers to jobs, housing, and education.

"This means taking seriously issues like impaired driving and addressing legitimate public nuisances, while ensuring that any consequences enforcement is are grounded in evidence, proportionality, and fairness.

"Responsible regulation ensures that legalization is guided by public health and safety and that someone’s right to use marijuana does not come at the expense of community members around them.

"Many adults choose to use marijuana, and some people report benefits such as relief from pain and anxiety. With increased access, use may rise, but so should supports for people who choose to use.

"High-potency products, aggressive marketing, and misleading medical claims flourish without government oversight. We need comprehensive restrictions on potency and advertising, honest labeling, protections for young people, and training for doctors to speak with patients about safe use and risks.

"Our work has reduced targeted arrests, cleared records, removed barriers to housing, expanded economic opportunities, and generated revenue to be reinvested into communities. But marijuana legalization is not one-and-done. As the industry evolves, so must our regulatory strategy.

"Legalization paired with smart regulation is how we protect consumers, ensure product safety, and prevent corporate interests from writing rules that serve only their bottom line. DPA has long pushed for marijuana legalization and regulation that put people’s health and freedom first.

"I agree with the New York Times Editorial Board: marijuana’s health risks and the challenges of commercialization demand stronger oversight. What we’re seeing is not the failure of legalization itself, but commercialization outpacing safeguards.

The New York Time’s editorial board recently raised concern about marijuana regulation. DPA ED Kassandra Frederique calls for clear standards on potency, marketing, and labeling to ensure the safety of consumers and to prioritize people over profit. 🧵

Our communities deserve drug policy rooted in care, compassion, and support.

Overdose prevention centers like OnPoint NYC are a lifeline for people. They ensure that people have a place to stay warm, medical care, outreach, & a safe place indoors instead of on the street. Over three days of freezing temperatures last week, OnPoint stayed open 24hrs to keep people alive.

During last weekend’s life-threatening freeze, city leaders asked OnPoint’s overdose prevention center (OPC) to stay open 24/7 to keep people indoors, warm, and alive. They did. That’s what OPCs are: community safety infrastructure that saves lives, cuts 911 calls, and connects people to care.

We asked people: “Who Inspires Your Fight?”. Here’s what they said.

Congress has passed its annual spending package, and it secures funding for overdose prevention and addiction treatment that was at risk. This vote doesn’t replace the massive cuts made last year. It doesn’t mean our work is over. But it does mean our pressure is working – and you made it possible.

Read more about Morgan’s story, and why life-saving health approaches to drugs are crucial to protect: https://apnews.com/article/indiana-addiction-and-treatment-medical-devices-morgan-bryant-medication-b9eff85b8dd2c7543335e5d6247ebe15

Not everyone who uses drugs has an addiction, but those who do may need a range of social services including treatment, housing, recovery services, detox, overdose prevention services, and more. What don’t they need? To be criminalized.

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Congress is making final funding decisions now. We must keep the pressure, so this never happens again.

Tell Congress: Fully fund livesaving services. Block further illegal cuts.

Americans want health, safety, and stability at home—not devastating public health cuts.

Public pressure worked. DPA organized with service providers, our partners, and lawmakers across the country to urge members of Congress to reverse course.

That collective pressure made a difference. But we must remain vigilant: this funding is still not secure.