For the first time in decades, public health data shows a sudden and promising decline in drug-related deaths across the US.
“This is exciting,” said Dr. Nora Volkow, head of the National Institute on Drug Abuse [NIDA]a government laboratory responsible for studying addiction. “This seems to be true. This seems very real.”
A national study compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention already shows an unprecedented drop in drug-related deaths of nearly 10.6 percent. That’s a big change from recent years when drug-related deaths often rose by double-digit percentages.
Some researchers believe that the data will show an even greater decline in drug deaths when federal surveys are updated to reflect improvements seen at the state level, particularly in the eastern US.
“In states that have very fast data collection systems, we’re seeing a drop of 20 percent, 30 percent,” said Dr. Nabarun Dasgupta, a street drug expert at the University of North Carolina.
According to Dasgupta’s analysis, which has sparked discussion among addiction and drug policy experts, the drop in state-level death rates has been accompanied by a corresponding decrease in overdose-related emergency room visits.
Here’s a link, via Anna Gat of Interintellect.
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