"One of the fears is that, as overdoses decline, there will be complacency," said Dr. Brian Hurley, head of ASAM. "One of our messages is making sure there's a sustained focus."
https://www.npr.org/2024/11/14/nx-s1-5191743/overdose-deaths-drop-fentanyl-opioid-crisis
"It could also be the adverse selection of people who were at the highest risk of experiencing a fatal overdose have already died,” said Dr. Tyler Coyle, former president of COSAM.
“In CO, we went from an 85% treatment gap (of people who need or want substance use treatment but are unable to get it) to the mid-to-upper 50s range. It’s not great, but it’s a heck of a lot better.” - Dr. Rob Velek
“It is encouraging to see overdose death rates dropping. It’s not something we’ve seen for five years,” said Tristan Sanders of @DDPHE.
"The things we’re doing are working, and we still have a long way to go," said Dr. Rob Velek of the CO Consortium for Prescription Drug Abuse.
Fatal drug overdoses in Denver and Colorado have declined through the first half of 2024 (by 11% and 8%, respectively), a ray of sunshine after years of skyrocketing death tolls.
The data is preliminary. https://www.denverpost.com/2024/11/24/colorado-overdose-fentanyl-denver/
