Drug Overdose Deaths Fell In 2018

WASHINGTON – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says drug overdose deaths in the United States declined 5.1 percent in 2018.

Doctor Andrew Kolodny, the Co-Director of Opioid Policy Research at Brandeis University in Massachusetts says it’s the first time in 25 years that overdose deaths will not have increased and have come down a little bit.

Kolodny was not involved in the new data.

The National Center for Health Statistics estimates there were 68,557 drug overdose deaths in 2018.

An estimated 47,590 involved opioids. The data will not be finalized until next year.