Drug overdose deaths continue to trend down, dropping slightly for the fifth straight month, according to data published Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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The CDC estimates more than 107,000 people died of a drug overdose in the 12-month period ending August 2022. That’s nearly 3,000 fewer deaths than the record number recorded in the 12-month period ending March 2022.
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However, it’s still more than 50% higher than it was three years before that.
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Synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl, continue to be involved in more than two-thirds of overdose deaths, which may involve multiple drugs at the same time.
