President Joe Biden's administration on Thursday celebrated new data showing the largest recorded year-over-year drop in US overdose deaths, attributing the success to its policies including expanding naloxone access and intensifying efforts against illicit fentanyl.

Opioid overdose deaths have now slowed to the lowest levels nationwide since 2020, according to new estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This marks the 12th straight month of decline since a peak last year.

The Bay State is again receiving positive news in its fight against the drug overdose crisis, as new data shows that OD deaths significantly dropped in a recent 12-month period. Massachusetts had about 2,

Opioid overdose deaths have decreased for 12 months, with 70,655 predicted deaths through June 2024, down from 86,401 in June 2023. Increased naloxone availability and reduced illegal drug use among high school students contribute to the decline in opioid overdose deaths.

Experts are unsure as to what is causing the decline, which saw deaths decrease by some 14% between June 2023 and 2024.

State officials say Michigan's decline from 2021 to 2023 was also five times faster than the national decline during the same time period.

U.S. drug overdose deaths are on pace to fall to the lowest levels since 2020, according to new provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a hopeful milestone amid efforts to stem the epidemic.