Overdose deaths are increasing in many Western states, despite a nationwide decrease over the past year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As Emily’s Hope previously reported, deaths dropped by around 3% in 2023, marking the first time in five years that deaths have declined.
However, a new Stateline analysis of CDC data finds Alaska, Nevada, Washington and Oregon have moved into the top ten for rate of overdose deaths since 2023. From April 2023 to April 2024, deaths have increased 42% in Alaska, 22% in Oregon, 18% in Nevada, and 14% in Washington.
Meanwhile, Nebraska saw the biggest decrease of 30%, followed by North Carolina at 23% and Vermont, Ohio and Pennsylvania all at 19%.
“Fentanyl really came in through the traditional drug markets in the Northeast, but you can see this steady movement westward,” Daliah Heller, vice president of overdose prevention program at Vital Strategies, told Stateline. “So now we’re seeing overdoses going up on the West Coast while they’re going down dramatically on the East Coast.”
According to this analysis, South Dakota overdose deaths were down by 2 percent. However, within the City of Sioux Falls itself, they have skyrocketed; by some 70 percent in the last year.