Democracy Dies in Darkness

U.S. overdose deaths plateau in 2022, but still exceed 100,000

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Updated May 17, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. EDT|Published May 17, 2023 at 11:10 a.m. EDT
Kurt Webber, in Palmyra, Pa., recalls his sister Amber Webber, who died last year of an overdose that included fentanyl. (Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post)
7 min

Drug overdose deaths in the United States plateaued in 2022 but still topped 100,000 — stark proof that the nation remains in the throes of a staggering crisis killing hundreds of Americans daily.

According to provisional data released Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at least 105,452 people succumbed to overdoses in 2022, a number poised to increase because of the lag time in reporting deaths by state agencies. The CDC is estimating that number could top 109,000. The death count mirrors 2021, when drugs such as illicit fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine killed more than 107,000 people — a record high for the nation.