Opioid Overdose Deaths Fell Fifty Percent Since 2022 Amid Supply Shocks

By J. Travis Donahoe, David T. Zhu,and Michael L. Barnett · STAT News · 2026-10-23

Opioid Overdose Deaths Fell Fifty Percent Since 2022 Amid Supply Shocks

According to STAT News, the United States is witnessing a historic reversal in the opioid epidemic as annual fatalities dropped from a peak of nearly 82,000 to roughly 44,500 in 2025. While political leaders and medical experts have attempted to attribute this decline to border e

According to STAT News, the United States is witnessing a historic reversal in the opioid epidemic as annual fatalities dropped from a peak of nearly 82,000 to roughly 44,500 in 2025. While political leaders and medical experts have attempted to attribute this decline to border e