this post was submitted on 19 Oct 2024
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268
Drug overdose deaths fall for 6 months straight as officials wonder what's working (www.nbcnews.com)
submitted 2 weeks ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/news@lemmy.world
58 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Coast to coast, major U.S. cities are seeing measurable drops in drug overdose deaths. Public health officials welcome the news despite an inability to fully explain the decrease.

After years of rising, the tide may finally be turning on deadly drug overdoses in America.

Drug overdose deaths fell 12.7% in the 12 months ending in May, according to preliminary data released Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

“This is the largest recorded reduction in overdose deaths,” White House officials said in a statement. “And the sixth consecutive month of reported decreases in predicted 12-month total numbers of drug overdose deaths.”

It’s also the first time since early 2021 that the number of estimated drug overdose deaths for a 12-month period fell below 100,000, to 98,820. 

It’s categorically good news. It’s also a bit puzzling to the public health experts who have been working for years to stop the upward trajectory of opioid deaths, driven primarily by fentanyl.

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[–] ByteOnBikes@slrpnk.net 20 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

In my city, there's a LOT of homeless addicts who abuse drugs. My city invested heavily in providing specialists who walk around with narcan and other supplies.

A few years prior to that, Law enforcement used to arrest these addicts.

[–] BugKilla@lemmy.world 25 points 2 weeks ago

So what you're saying is that they (the city) treated it as a medical problem and not a law enforcement problem. Now you're seeing fewer deaths and better outcomes for addicts who clearly need help. All they need to do now is work on the mental health issues to treat homelessness and addiction and then gain societal profit. It's like there is a kinda of logic to treating people with empathy and respect results in better outcomes...

[–] ValenThyme@reddthat.com 8 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

are these homeless addicts ABUSING THE POOR DRUGS or are they human beings struggling to survive in a capitalist hellscape?

I tried to feel bad for these abused drugs but i can't stop thinking about the people!

[–] desktop_user@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 2 weeks ago

the drugs did nothing to deserve the abuse, how do we know the homeless were quite so innocent?

[–] Deceptichum@quokk.au 4 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

Drug abuse is in regards to people use drugs in an unhealthy manner, i.e. addiction. You can abuse alcohol as well.

Stop acting like saying ‘abusing drugs is a problem’, is an insult towards people. It’s so performative and useless in helping anybody who has ever had issues with substance abuse.

[–] piecat@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

And "drug abuse" is also language that is used by politicians or police to dehumanize homeless people.

Yes there's a technical term obviously, but like "retard" or "cripple", there's negative connotations that get in the way.

[–] Deceptichum@quokk.au 2 points 2 weeks ago

It’s not at all the same, and I’m saying this as someone who has abused them in the past.

You’re trying to make a big deal out of nothing and it’s distracting from the cause.