Street drug overdoses are on the rise again for the first time in 17 months, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Data that covers the 12 months ending in January 2025 concluded that over 82,000 Americans died from overdoses in that span, an increase of about 1,400 deaths compared to the same period in 2024.
However, the current figure is far below the overdose crisis peak of 114,664 recorded in August 2023.
Stanford researcher Keith Humphreys says the new CDC data may signal that recent declines in drug deaths, due to post-COVID stability and weaker street fentanyl, could be starting to reverse.
“If we assume it’s not a blip, this makes it more likely that the sudden drop [in fatal overdoses] was a one-off event rather than a fundamental change in epidemic dynamics,” Humphreys told NPR.
While fentanyl remains the leading cause of U.S. overdose deaths, researchers warn that street drugs are increasingly laced with other dangerous substances like cocaine, meth, and animal tranquilizers such as medetomidine and xylazine.
Still, Nabarun Dasgupta, who studies overdose trends at the University of North Carolina, remains positive. His analysis of the latest CDC data shows that most of the country is still seeing a downward trend in overdose deaths, with recent increases mainly driven by rises in Texas, Arizona, California, and Washington.
“Overdose trends are not a one-way street, and there will be periodic local increases,” Dasgupta told NPR.
Data on drug deaths in the U.S. is collected and released slowly, so recent reports, such as the CDC’s latest using January data, provide only an approximate picture of the current street drug situation.
The CDC points out that variations in overdose deaths can result from multiple factors, including shifts in the drug supply or changes in treatment availability.
While the recent rise in overdose deaths occurred before President Donald Trump took office, it comes as his administration and Republican lawmakers push to cut funding for addiction treatment programs and Medicaid, the primary insurer for those with substance use disorders.
Experts, including Dr. Stephen Taylor of the American Society of Addiction Medicine, warns that reducing federal support now would signal a dangerous step backward.
“America is still in the middle of an incredibly deadly addiction and overdose crisis,” Taylor told NPR in response to the latest CDC data.
“Reducing federal support for Medicaid — the largest payer of mental health and substance use disorder treatment — would be a sign of retreat,” Taylor added.
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