NEW YORK (AP) — The number of U.S. fatal overdoses fell last year, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data posted Wednesday. Agency officials noted the data is provisional and could change after more analysis, but that they still expect a drop when the final counts are in. It would be only the second annual decline since the current national drug death epidemic began more than three decades ago. Experts reacted cautiously. One described the decline as relatively small, and said it should be thought more as part of a leveling off than a decrease. Another noted that the last time a decline occurred — in 2018 — drug deaths shot up in the years that followed. “Any decline is encouraging,” said Brandon Marshall, a Brown University researcher who studies overdose trends. “But I think it’s certainly premature to celebrate or to draw any large-scale conclusions about where we may be headed long-term with this crisis.” |
Jennifer Lopez demands her 16Ukraine says it foiled Russian plot to assassinate ZelenskyyVictim of roadReport says Chiefs' Rashee Rice suspected of assault weeks after arrest over highHospital knife rampage leaves more than ten people dead or wounded in ChinaZelensky 'assassination plot foiled' as Ukraine detains two of its own counterHarvey Weinstein back at Rikers Island after hospital stayWhere were Kanye West and Bianca Censori's Met Gala invites? As his exLouisiana lawmakers reject adding exceptions of rape and incest to abortion banGeorgia governor signs budget boosting spending, looking to surplus billions to cut taxes in future