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U.S. Overdose Deaths Fell 14% in 2025, Third Straight Annual Decline

Experts warn new federal limits on harm-reduction tools could slow the progress.

FILE - The overdose-reversal drug Narcan is displayed during training for employees of the Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC), Dec. 4, 2018, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
FILE - Jonathan Dumke, a senior forensic chemist with the Drug Enforcement Administration, holds vials of fentanyl pills at a DEA research laboratory on April 29, 2025, in Northern Virginia. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)
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Overview

  • CDC preliminary data released Wednesday show about 70,000 overdose deaths in 2025, down 13.9% from 2024 and back near 2019 levels.
  • Deaths linked to fentanyl, cocaine, and meth all fell, while predicted increases topped 10% in New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado.
  • Forensic labs flagged 27 newly detected drugs in 2025 and 23 more so far in 2026, including cychlorphine, a cutting agent estimated to be up to 10 times stronger than fentanyl.
  • The federal substance-abuse agency told grantees last month it will stop paying for test strips and similar kits that check for deadly additives, a move harm-reduction advocates and grieving parents say removes a basic safety step.
  • Researchers cite wider naloxone access, more treatment, shifts in drug use, and opioid-settlement funding as drivers of the decline, with counts still preliminary and subject to revision.