U.S. health authorities have recorded more than 100,000 deaths from drug overdoses over the past year.
Deaths due to doses were about 107,000, compared to more than 111,000 a year earlier, according to preliminary figures.
The data point to a decrease in deaths from the abuse of fentanyl, the powerful synthetic opioid that is the main cause of the crisis of overdose deaths in the United States today.
The number of deaths from this cause has dropped from about 76,000 in 2022 to about 75,000 last year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The researchers noted that “intensified treatments against addiction” and “increased availability of naloxone,” which is used to save people who have overdosed opioids, have contributed to this decline.
The situation varied between states, with fewer deaths than 15 percent, while others saw deaths increase by up to 27 percent, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report.
Experts stress the importance of continued efforts to educate the public about the dangers of fentanyl abuse and to provide the necessary treatment and rescue to reduce this crisis, with a focus on promoting the use of safer opioids, such as methadone or buprenorphine.
A delegation from the US Congress visits Morocco