Deaths from fentanyl overdoses have dropped dramatically in the U.S. in recent years. That includes the state of Arkansas, which has seen a 40% drop since the peak in March 2022. That’s according to new numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Kirk Lane, director of the Arkansas Opioid Recovery Partnership, credits part of the drop in the fentanyl death rate to the wide availability of Naloxone, also known as Narcan, is an overdose reversal drug.
Lane points out that Arkansas has dedicated roughly $2.5 million to distributing the drug across the state. As Nathan Treece with Little Rock Public Radio reports, Lane says shifting attitudes on treating addiction have also played a role. “And so, if we look at it as a disease then we realize that recovery is possible and recovery works, the whole aspect of criminalizing it actually changes and gets people the help and support they need to seek recovery and succeed in recovery.”
An NPR report released on Monday, also cited CDC data, which reveals the national fentanyl death rate has dropped more than 26% from the peak in June 2023. But Lane adds that despite the success in reducing fatal fentanyl overdoses, deaths from methamphetamine overdose are beginning to trend upward in Arkansas.
