Harm Reduction Ohio Reports Overdose Deaths in Ohio Reach an 8-Year Low

According to an analysis of preliminary overdose death data from the Ohio Department of Health’s online mortality database conducted by Harm Reduction Ohio, overdose deaths in Ohio fell to an eight-year low in January of 2024. Factors contributing to this shift may be related to ongoing statewide drug treatment and outreach efforts, as well as a decline in the presence of fentanyl contamination in other drugs.

Researchers from the Cato Institute are cautiously optimistic about the Ohio trends but warns that in other parts of the United States, overdose deaths are continuing to rise. For example, while in Ohio overdose deaths fell by 11%, last year OD deaths rose by 22% in the state of Oregon, and by an astonishing 35% in the state of Alaska.

On average, an estimated rate of 8.7 Ohioans are dying per day of overdose – an average that Harm Reduction Ohio claims has not been seen since 2015. The rate of fentanyl contaminated drugs has also fell significantly, according to Bureau of Criminal Investigation drug seizure data. For example, between April – June of 2024, fentanyl-contaminated cocaine fell to 12%, compared to 20% during the same period last year. Similarly, the percentage of Xanax contamination also dropped from 10% to 2% during the same periods. Researchers who study fentanyl suggest that this decrease in accidental exposure to fentanyl by primarily non-opioid dependent substance users may be one of the key factors in the recent reduction of overdose deaths.