National Drug OD Deaths Dropping, But Not in WA State

WA State health officials and others are trying to pinpoint why WA state drug OD deaths continue to rise, despite national rates dropping about ten percent over the last year.

 WA drug OD deaths continue to rise

According to the CDC, national drug overdose deaths have declined 10 percent between April of 2023 and 2024.  However, WA state rates have not.

During that same period in WA state, drug-related deaths, overdoses, increased 13 percent statewide. WA is one of 9 states where rates have risen.

Officials say they do not have pinpoint reasons why.  According to the Spokesman-Review, on UW Researcher believes national rates are dropping because of a slight decrease in use. They believe a plateau of the potency of the drugs could be one reason, also, the number of people using drugs who've died is outpacing the number of 'new' drug users.

Others say increased use of Naproxin, and other anti-overdose drugs could be lowierng national rates.

However, the report does not mention the Fentanyl issue in WA and the West Coast.  According to the CDC, (2022 data) WA averages 33.7 drug deaths per 100,000 of population. That rate is not near the top of the list, which is led by West Virginia.

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However, of the 13 western states that are seeing the surge of Fentanyl smuggling, WA ranks 4th in the number of pills confiscated by law enforcement.  In 2023, at least 4 million pills were seized. WA ranks only behind CA, AZ, and Colorado. Oregon is 5th.

According to the DEA, 1,067 people in WA died in 2023 from Fentanyl-related issues, and the DEA removed what they call 4.8 million lethal doses from the state. A lethal dose can be in pill, or other form.

If officials don't know why drug overdoses are still rising, they could look at these figures.