Why opioid deaths are falling in Bexar County
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Drug-related deaths in Bexar County have dropped from pandemic-era highs, but are still above 2019 levels, CDC data shows.
Why it matters: Fatal overdoses initially rose during the COVID pandemic, but have been falling since 2023 as naloxone, which reverses an opioid overdose, has become more widely available.
Flashback: Narcan, the best-known name brand of the drug, was made available over the counter in 2023. It is standard issue for first responders and available in treatment centers and some public places.
By the numbers: There were 179 opioid-related deaths in Bexar County in 2024, per provisional CDC data the city's Metro Health Department shared with Axios. That's down 33.5% from a high of 269 such deaths in 2022, though still above the 135 deaths in 2019.
- Bexar County saw 208 stimulant-related drug deaths in 2024, down 23% from 270 in 2023 and up from 109 in 2019.
- Opioids include drugs like fentanyl and oxycodone. Stimulants include drugs like methamphetamine and cocaine. Naloxone works only on opioid overdoses.
What they're saying: "The fact that Narcan … can reverse someone who is actively dying and who would have died otherwise, is hugely the reason why we see these decreases," Jessie Higgins, San Antonio's chief mental health officer, told a City Council committee last month.
Yes, but: While deaths are dropping, it's hard to tell whether drug use itself is falling; that's harder to measure, Higgins said.
Between the lines: Other factors contributing to the decline could include increased availability of paper test strips that detect fentanyl in illicit or counterfeit drugs. These can reduce fatal overdoses that happen when people take fentanyl-laced pills that look like prescription drugs.
Zoom out: Almost all states saw decreases in overdose deaths in 2024.
- Across Texas, there were an estimated 4,990 overdose deaths, a nearly 15% decrease from a year earlier.
- There were an estimated 80,391 drug overdose deaths in the U.S. last year — a drop of 27% from 2023.
Reality check: Experts warn a Trump administration budget proposal that would cut health services threatens the decline.
- A group of doctors and experts on addiction warned lawmakers in a letter last month that "drastic" cuts to federal health agencies and their grant recipients could set back efforts to address overdoses, addiction and mental health.
- Experts are particularly concerned that budget cuts could hit addiction recovery programs in rural areas and impoverished urban neighborhoods, NPR reported.
The other side: U.S. Customs and Border Protection "is cracking down on the flow of deadly drugs into our country," White House spokesperson Kush Desai said in an emailed statement.
- CDC spokesperson Cassie Strawn said that the drug overdose epidemic "remains a critically important health issue" in the U.S.
What's next: The city of San Antonio expects to receive more than $6 million from its share of a settlement from an opioid lawsuit, paid out through 2041.
- It has already spent more than $1.3 million on substance use outreach, Narcan kits, harm reduction supplies and more, Higgins told council members.