Overdose deaths fall as harm reduction expands
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Drug overdose deaths fell in Kansas and Missouri last year, mirroring a strong national trend, according to CDC data.
The big picture: The drop is a sign of progress in the opioid crisis after years of record highs.
- Overdose fatalities surged during the pandemic but have been falling since 2023 thanks in part to wider availability of the overdose-reversing drug naloxone and other harm reduction efforts.
By the numbers: Across the U.S., roughly 80,000 people died of overdoses in 2024, a nearly 27% drop from 2023, the largest one-year decrease in decades.
- Kansas recorded 556 overdose deaths in 2024, down from 656 in 2023, a 15% decrease.
- Missouri had 1,481 deaths in 2024, down from 2,056 in 2023, a 28% drop.
Zoom in: Local efforts to curb overdoses have ramped up on both sides of the state line. In 2023, Kansas legalized fentanyl test strips, which were once classified as drug paraphernalia.
- Kansas-based nonprofit DCCCA and groups like Recovery Friendly Missouri mail test strips for free to help people detect the deadly opioid in other drugs before use.
- "Our goal is really to eliminate as many barriers as possible to getting naloxone in the hands of people," Chrissy Mayer with DCCCA told High Plains Public Radio.
Case in point: The Kansas City Public Library system in Missouri offers free Narcan kits at all branches.
- "You can come in, the kits are available, you just grab whatever it is that you need, no questions asked," said Kim Gyle, director of branch services with the library, told KSHB.
Kansas installed free naloxone vending machines in places like Kansas City, Lawrence, Wichita and Independence, making the overdose reversal drug easier to obtain.
- Some area health departments, like in Wyandotte County, hand out free naloxone doses to residents.
Zoom out: Nearly every state saw fewer overdose deaths in 2024. West Virginia (−37.7%) and Virginia (−43%) experienced the largest declines, while South Dakota (+2.3%) and Nevada (+3.5%) saw slight increases.
What to watch: Experts say a proposed Trump administration budget that would slash health services in 2026 could stall this progress.
- Federal funding cuts might jeopardize local addiction treatment and harm reduction programs just as overdose deaths are finally falling.