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The United States has been battling the seemingly endless opioid crisis for nearly three decades, but there has never been a more important time to be engaged in drug prevention, education, and response. For the first time in years, drug overdose deaths are receding. According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC), our most reliable source of mortality data, drug-related overdose deaths declined an incredible 24 percent in the last 12 months. This marks the largest decrease in history and validates the tireless efforts of everyone that has been working to “end overdose.” While the cause(s) of this drop are not entirely clear, there is broad agreement that increased awareness and the availability of overdose prevention measures such as naloxone and fentanyl test strips have helped bend the curve.
Perhaps not surprisingly, young Americans are leading the way. From student-led chapters on college campuses, to evidence-based fentanyl awareness and safety education in middle and high schools, and a dedicated network of volunteers delivering overdose prevention and response resources at music festivals and other events, the changemakers at End Overdose are on the front lines helping turn the tide. But there is still much work to be done.
Despite the recent decrease, overdose deaths are still alarmingly high and remain the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-44. And with funding and other support from the federal government currently in flux, the risk of regression is all too real. It is thus incumbent on non-profit organizations like End Overdose and other partners to meet the moment, fill the gap, and continue the life-saving work that got us to this point.
Far too many Americans – friends, family, colleagues, and neighbors – are still at risk. It will take all of us working together to continue the hard, but essential work of saving lives. As the late, great Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “If you can't fly, then run. If you can't run, then walk. If you can't walk, then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving.” Keep moving, y’all.
Jim Crotty is the former Deputy Chief of Staff at the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. He is an Adjunct Professor at American University’s School of Public Affairs, sits on the Advisory Board of the nonprofit United Against Fentanyl, and is an active member of the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC).