BOSTON (AP) – Preliminary data from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health shows that opioid-related overdose deaths in the state declined by 1.5% in the first nine months of this year compared to the same time last year.
The department says the state had 1,696 confirmed and estimated opioid-related overdose deaths in the first nine months of 2022. That’s about 25 fewer deaths than during the same time in 2021.
According to the data, fentanyl, a potent synthetic opioid, was detected in 94% of the deaths in the first six months of 2022 where a toxicology report was available.
Last year, more than 107,000 Americans died of drug overdoses. That’s the highest tally in U.S. history.
From The Associated Press
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