Three US states have seen surges in drug overdoses, despite historic decreases throughout the rest of the country.
Nationwide, drug overdose deaths fell 26.3 percent in the 12 months leading up to April 2025 compared to 2024, newly released CDC data shows.
The figures show national deaths dropped from 100,049 to 73,690, a major decline after several years of increases following the Covid pandemic.
Overdose deaths as of April 2025 ranked just behind the 72,000 reported in 2019. In 2020, they surged to 94,000 and have increased every year until 2024.
Virginia, Massachusetts and West Virginia led the charge with 44, 42 and 41 percent drops in overdose deaths, respectively, which state legislators have attributed to strict seizures of potent opioids like fentanyl and increased distribution of the overdose-reversal drug naloxone (Narcan).
However, experts have also suggested the fentanyl crisis in the US has been so catastrophic that it is running out of people to kill, naturally causing overdose deaths to decrease.
But despite national trends, overdose deaths increased in Arizona, Hawaii and South Dakota by 7.5, 5.2 and 1.2 percent, respectively.
Arizona reported the largest increase in deaths, nearly three-quarters of which are largely driven by opioids like fentanyl, which is 100 times more potent than morphine.