NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The rate of drug overdose deaths is slowing down from record high levels, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The recent increase had been attributed to the impact of fentanyl circulating.
The highest number of overdose deaths ever recorded was for the 12-month period ending in March 2022 with 110,000 deaths. New numbers from the CDC mark a more than 2% decrease from that high with more than 107,000 estimated deaths between July 2021 and July 2022.
The White House said that trend is continuing with this being the ninth month in a row the rate of overdose deaths has slowed.
Going in depth in Davidson County and Metro, the last several years have shown that record-high rise in deaths. Last year there were 529 overdose deaths, which was 200 more than in 2019. Statewide numbers reflected a similar trend with more than 3,800 deaths last year. That's almost 2,000 more than in 2019.
While fentanyl is the main culprit in many cases, the CDC notes an increase in meth-related deaths and polysubstance use.
