Drug overdose related deaths saw significant drop in 2024

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) -- A recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention details that overdose deaths in the U.S. saw a notable drop from late 2023 to 2024.

In 2024, roughly 80,391 deaths occurred due to overdoses, a 27% drop from 2023 which equates to an estimated 30,000 fewer deaths.

"We've really tried do more on the prevention education side, we're trying to get into the schools at younger ages," Buchanan County Drug Strike Force Captain Shawn Collie said. "We're really trying to partner up with other agencies to help the drug strike force, with the sheriff's office and local law enforcement. We can't do this on our own. We have to partner with other agencies and with the community."

Within Missouri, 1,948 overdose deaths were documented in 2023, with that number dropping to 1,439 in 2024.