While opioid overdoses have been rising for many years, trends in most up-to-date instances present us a glimmer of hope. NPR experiences:
For the primary time in a long time, public well being knowledge exhibits a sudden and hopeful drop in drug overdose deaths throughout the U.S.
“This is thrilling,” mentioned Dr. Nora Volkow, head of the National Institute On Drug Abuse [NIDA], the federal laboratory charged with finding out dependancy. “This seems actual. This seems very, very actual.”
National surveys compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention already present an unprecedented decline in drug deaths of roughly 10.6 p.c. That’s an enormous reversal from current years when deadly overdoses repeatedly elevated by double-digit percentages.
Data from the CDC is beneath. Hopefully this pattern continues.
HT: Marginal Revolution.