FAF Issue Brief September 2023

U.S. Fentanyl Deaths Reach New High

31 States Saw Increase in Fentanyl Deaths In 2023

Washington State, Oregon, Nevada saw Largest Increases in Fentanyl Deaths

New data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention has revealed that U.S. drug “overdose” deaths reached a new high in 2023 – and deaths from fentanyl and other synthetic opioids also reached an all-time high. The CDC estimates that more than 111,000 Americans died from a drug overdose in the 12-month period ending in April – and more than 77,000 of those deaths involved fentanyl and other synthetic opioids other thanmethadone. Both are record highs and increases over the prior year.

While overall U.S. overdose deaths increased by 1.7 percent compared to the prior 12 month period, a Families Against Fentanyl analysis of CDC data found that illicit fentanyl and other synthetic opioid deaths increased by a greater margin of nearly 5 percent (4.9 percent), with some states seeing one-year increases of more than 50 percent. Families Against Fentanyl analyzed the new CDC data and found that:

Overall US

● Overdose deaths and deaths from fentanyl poisoning reached an all-time high in 2023.

● 31 states and the District of Columbia saw more fentanyl and synthetic opioid deaths in 2023 than the year prior. 29 states saw more overdose deaths in 2023 than in the prior year, according to CDC estimates of fatalities through April 2023.

● Nationwide fentanyl and synthetic opioid deaths increased at a higher rate than overall drug overdose deaths. Deaths due to fentanyl and synthetic opioids increased by nearly 5 percent (4.9 percent) compared to the prior year, more than double the rate of increase among

overall overdose deaths (1.7 percent). States with Highest Rate of Increase in Drug Deaths

● Oregon and Washington state had the highest rate of increase in fatalities due to fentanyl poisoning (13x the national average) and drug overdose compared to the prior year.

● Oregon had the highest rate of increase in fentanyl deaths in the nation with a one-year increase of more than 67 percent, compared to a national average of 5 percent. The state also ranked second highest in the nation for increases in overdose deaths overall, with an increase of 23 percent.

● Washington state overdose deaths increased by over 34 percent, the highest one-year increase in the nation. Washington also ranked second highest in the nation for increases in fentanyl deaths, with an increase of 65 percent.

States with Highest Number of Fatalities

● California, Florida, Ohio and North Carolina had the highest number of fentanyl and other synthetic opioid deaths in the 12-month period

ending in April 2023.

● California, Florida, Texas and Pennsylvania suffered the most overall drug overdose deaths in the same 12-month period.

You can access the full Families Against Fentanyl brief here.