US Overdose Deaths Drop as Fentanyl Supply Weakens, Study Finds

A sudden disruption in the illicit fentanyl supply, rather than advances in treatment or policing, may explain the sharp drop in US overdose deaths since mid-2023, according to a new study.

A supply shock — likely linked to tighter controls on fentanyl precursor chemicals in China — was felt through North America in 2023, researchers said in the study published in Science. The disruption reduced both the availability and potency of fentanyl, coinciding with a rapid decline in deaths involving synthetic opioids.

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After more than a ...