Drug overdose deaths drop across Missouri for second straight year
Euphenie Andre
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Drug overdoses across the state declined by 25.6% last year, dropping from 1,948 deaths in 2023 to 1,450 in 2024.
This marks the second consecutive year of declining fatalities, according to the University of Missouri–St. Louis Addiction Science Team.
Each region across the state experienced a decrease in overdose deaths in 2024 compared to 2023. Central Missouri saw the largest decline at 37%. The university reported 123 deaths in 2024, down from 194 in 2023.
Heather Harlan — health program coordinator at the Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services Department — said she believes part of the reason for the drop is that people who are using drugs are getting the message to be more careful.
“They’re changing how they’re using the drugs,” Harlan said. “The state has worked very hard and a lot of local entities have worked hard to make access to treatment easier so that people are ready they can get the help that they need.”
According to the university, overdose deaths involving all drug types decreased in 2024 compared to 2023. Last year, 63% of overdose deaths involved an opioid, which represents a 10% decrease from 2023.
Statewide, 1-in-3 adult overdose deaths involved both opioids and stimulants, and more than half involved a stimulant alone. In the Central region, deaths involving both opioids and stimulants dropped from 73 to 30 within a year. Stimulant-related deaths alone fell from 100 to 63, and fentanyl-related deaths declined from 141 to 57 during the same period in that region.
“Fentanyl is showing up in all drugs,” Harlan said. “That includes methamphetamine, cocaine, and it’s suspected in vape and THC products. So we want people to be very careful and only purchase substances from reputable, licensed sellers.”
Mortality rates in the Midwest dropped to 17 deaths per 100,000 residents in 2024, compared to 29 deaths in 2022, which was the highest rate recorded since 2020.
“We still have so many, tens of thousands of people dying. We have been losing four Missourians a day,” Harlan said. “So we think it’s time to continue to work to bring that number down as much as we can, and that’s what we’re dedicated to doing here,”
Harlan said she suspects numbers to drop again for reports for 2025
“We’re hoping it continues to go down because every day here at the health department, our team knows that every one of those numbers is a person,” she said.
The Department of Health and Senior Services said the previous year’s decline was largely due to the availability of naloxone, a medication that reverses opioid overdoses. Harlan also believes the availability of naloxone played a role in this most recent decrease.
The department will host a Save a Life training evening from noon to 1 p.m. Thursday at the Columbia Public Library.
People struggling with drug abuse can contact Engaging Patients in Care Coordination at 1-800-395-2132, or reach out to the Missouri Department of Mental Health and Human Services for help.