NEW YORK (AP) — The number of U.S. fatal overdoses fell last year, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data posted Wednesday.
Agency officials noted the data is provisional and could change after more analysis, but that they still expect a drop when the final counts are in. It would be only the second annual decline since the current national drug death epidemic began more than three decades ago.
Experts reacted cautiously. One described the decline as relatively small, and said it should be thought more as part of a leveling off than a decrease. Another noted that the last time a decline occurred — in 2018 — drug deaths shot up in the years that followed.
“Any decline is encouraging,” said Brandon Marshall, a Brown University researcher who studies overdose trends. “But I think it’s certainly premature to celebrate or to draw any large-scale conclusions about where we may be headed long-term with this crisis.”
Chinese engineers install cutting
Chinese cities mobilize new technologies to spur improved development
Beijing, Hebei province brace for forecast snow
Saudi Arabia is going to sponsor the WTA women's tennis rankings under a new partnership
Cable car accident: 174 people stranded in the air rescued in Turkey
Chinese cyberspace regulator cracks down on illegal online activities
Multiple places in C.China’s Henan suspend classes, transportation due to continuous snowfall
The fightback begins: Boss of London's Queen Mary University tells pro
China pledges efforts to combat lawyer misconduct
Lynn Williams breaks NWSL goal
Power transmission lines maintained in Shennongjia to alleviate snow impacts