Thirty thousand fewer people are dying every year in the U.S. from fentanyl and other street drugs. This shift has stunned addiction experts, reversing decades of rising death. Here are eight theories on why things are getting better.
Fentanyl overdose deaths are declining significantly in the US after years of increases. Experts are unsure why, but theories include wider availability of overdose reversal medication (naloxone), weaker fentanyl potency, supply chain disruptions, increased use of animal tranquilizers in drugs, better access to addiction treatment, a possible depletion of the high-risk user population, reduced pandemic-related factors, and safer drug use practices.
