U.S. overdose deaths down 27%, largest one-year decline ever

U.S. overdose deaths fell by 27% last year according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The CDC released a new report that found this was the largest one-year decline ever recorded. The report said there were 30,000 fewer U.S. drug overdose deaths in 2024 than the year before. An estimated 80,000 people died from overdoses last year, that is down 27% from the 110,000 in 2023.

Stephanie Siete, who is a Drug Education Consultant, joined “Arizona Horizon” to discuss the findings from the report.

Stephanie Siete is a drug education consultant who has been working in the drug prevention and education field in the Phoenix area for 25 years. Siete has spent her career training local and national police and fire departments, healthcare providers and government agencies. Siete has hosted numerous seminars for law enforcement, including the FBI and the Arizona School Resource Officer Association. She has earned numerous awards and recognitions for her work in the drug prevention field.

Although there are increases in safeguards such as naloxone helping to prevent opioid related deaths, Siete does not want that to be the only message people take away.

“I’ve been in this field for 25 years,” Siete said. “I always explain that I have way too many friends whose kids have died from drug overdoses, and a lot of it is fentanyl and other derivatives of fentanyl. We talked about the opioid crisis, but there are other types of opioids. So that’s what’s concerning. Awareness works, maybe. But at the same time I think people think there are safe measures like naloxone, or we just don’t want that to be the only message,” Siete said.

Siete is available to speak to classes, parent groups, schools, companies and conferences. You can visit her Facebook page or Instagram page for more information.