BOSTON — Massachusetts experienced a 10% drop in opioid-related overdose deaths from 2022 to 2023, the largest single-year decline over the past two decades and a trend that is expected to continue based on early data from 2024, according to a report released Wednesday morning. But even as experts with the Department of Public Health signaled a victory lap was in order because of the decrease, officials warned of “concerning data” on opioid-related overdose deaths when statistics were broken down by race and ethnicity that could temper any celebrations. While opioid-related overdose death rates among among white, non-Hispanic males decreased by 16% from 2022 to 2023, the rate actually increased among Black non-Hispanic men, according to the report.
“I want to state this clearly, this is yet another example of racism as a serious public health threat, and it reflects the decades of racism inherent to the war on drugs,” Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Robert Goldstein said during a Tuesday briefing ahead of the release of the report. But the overall drop in the number of opioid-related overdose deaths could mark a significant turning point in Massachusetts’ fight against highly addictive drugs that have plagued the state for decades and cut short the lives of many.
The confirmed and estimated opioid-related overdose death rate in 2023 was 30.2 per 100,000 people, a drop from 33.5 people per 100,000 people in 2022, which itself was a 2.
5% increase over 2.
