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Decreased Fentanyl Potency as the Primary Driver of the 2024 Decline in U.S. Overdose Deaths

2025-12-05 addiction medicine Title + abstract only
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BackgroundIn a profound reversal of prior trends, U.S. drug overdose deaths declined by 26.9% in 2024. Two proposed explanations are: (1) expansion of prevention, treatment, and harm-reduction infrastructure and (2) changes in the illicit fentanyl supply. This study evaluated which hypothesis best aligns with observed changes in drug involvement in overdose mortality. MethodsCDC WONDER multiple-cause-of-death data for 2023 and 2024 were analyzed using complementary approaches. In a preliminary ...

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