Future Retirement Success
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Investing
  • Stocks
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Investing
  • Stocks

Future Retirement Success

Investing

How Much of the Drop in Fentanyl-Related Overdose Deaths Might Be Due to a Resurgence of Heroin?

by February 26, 2025
February 26, 2025
How Much of the Drop in Fentanyl-Related Overdose Deaths Might Be Due to a Resurgence of Heroin?

Jeffrey A. Singer

A February 25 press release from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on provisional data showing that drug overdoses in the US dropped to 87,000 from October 2023 through September 2024. The previous year saw 114,000 overdose deaths. Fentanyl-related overdose deaths fell to 55,126 for that year, compared to 79,432 in the prior year. For perspective, overdose deaths totaled 70,630 in 2019, of which 35,030 were fentanyl-related.

This is encouraging news. However, as I have mentioned before, overdose deaths spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic, reaching the 100,000 mark in 2021. The isolation, anxiety, and despair that accompanied the pandemic and the public health response also contributed to an increase in adult substance use during this time, including alcohol consumption. Pandemic-related lockdowns made it more difficult for people to access harm reduction or drug treatment programs. Consequently, much of the welcome drop in overdose deaths may reflect a return to the trend line as the pandemic fades into history.

As I have also noted, another contributing factor may be that federal, state, and local governments have been gradually eliminating barriers that hinder harm reduction organizations from distributing naloxone, participating in syringe services programs, and providing fentanyl test strips.

However, another factor to consider is that heroin is reemerging in the black market drug supply. Heroin, which is roughly 50 times less potent than fentanyl, had been nearly entirely replaced in the black market during the pandemic. The border closures and supply chain disruptions drove drug trafficking organizations to switch from heroin to fentanyl, which was easier to produce and distribute under those conditions. When the public health emergency ended, these organizations opted to continue what was effective—producing fentanyl products in underground labs—rather than relying on growing, transporting, and processing opium into diacetylmorphine (heroin).

Researchers have known for some time that people who use drugs overwhelmingly prefer heroin to fentanyl. When drug traffickers began mixing fentanyl into heroin a little over a decade ago, many unaware heroin users became overdose victims. Over time, as fentanyl dominated the drug supply, users adapted to the situation.

However, Axios recently reported on a study showing heroin is making a comeback among drug users:

Between January and June of 2024, heroin was detected in about 10% of people using fentanyl in the western part of the US, according to drug testing data.

Between July and November 2024, it increased to 23% in the region.
In five states, there were statistically significant increases, including Arizona (389%), Colorado (264%), Oregon (160%), Alaska (102%), and Washington (80%), between the first and second half of 2024. The overall increase in the region during that time was 123%.

Anecdotally, during an interview I conducted last November, the director of a prominent harm reduction organization in Arizona informed me that they were observing an increase in heroin use in the state.

Heroin’s resurgence highlights the black market’s quick adaptability and the complete failure of drug prohibition enforcement. With pandemic-related obstacles to heroin production removed, drug trafficking organizations are responding to customers’ preference for heroin over fentanyl. Moreover, by increasing the heroin trade, they may better evade law enforcement, which is focusing on fentanyl trafficking.

Drug-tolerant fentanyl users who switch back to heroin or try heroin for the first time may be less likely to overdose on the less potent opioid.

If heroin’s resurgence is contributing to the drop in fentanyl-related overdose deaths, it serves as yet another reminder that prohibition does not eliminate drug use—it only reshapes the market, often in dangerous and unpredictable ways. Rather than chasing an endless cycle of enforcement and adaptation, policymakers should focus on harm reduction strategies that save lives and empower individuals to make safer choices.

Check out my new book, Your Body, Your Health Care, scheduled for release on April 8.

0
FacebookTwitterGoogle +Pinterest
previous post
Trump’s Art of the Deal turns around an unwinnable war against Ukraine
next post
Bearish Signals & Risk Management: Protect Your Portfolio!

You may also like

Tennessee Leads the Way in Removing Barriers to...

May 18, 2023

Medicaid Expansion Will Not Increase Mississippi’s Labor Force...

March 14, 2024

List of 120+ Biden Actions to Help Try...

February 23, 2024

Obama, Biden Have Mislead More Health Insurance Purchasers...

July 31, 2023

The Free Speech Recession Deepens Across the Democratic...

January 8, 2024

Libertarian Consistency

September 3, 2024

The State of Kids Online Safety Legislation at...

August 1, 2023

The High Cost of War: Ukraine Aid Could...

April 9, 2024

Congress Should Reject a Blockbuster Christmas Stopgap Measure

December 18, 2024

The Islamic Moses: The Key to the Judeo-Islamic...

September 10, 2024

    Get free access to all of the retirement secrets and income strategies from our experts! or Join The Exclusive Subscription Today And Get the Premium Articles Acess for Free

    By opting in you agree to receive emails from us and our affiliates. Your information is secure and your privacy is protected.

    Recent Posts

    • Trump warns of ‘serious consequences’ if Elon Musk funds Democrats

      June 7, 2025
    • Musk jokes about reconsidering stance on Big Beautiful Bill after Schiff’s praise

      June 7, 2025
    • Musk deletes explosive posts about Trump and Epstein files

      June 7, 2025
    • House witness flips script on Dem who ambushed him during hearing with unearthed tweet: ‘Iceberg is ahead’

      June 7, 2025
    • Call with China’s Xi, and Trump-Musk exchange fueled barbs during 20th week in office

      June 7, 2025
    • Trump’s conservative allies warn Congress faces critical ‘test’ with $9.4B spending cut proposal

      June 7, 2025

    Categories

    • Business (8,152)
    • Investing (2,019)
    • Politics (15,568)
    • Stocks (3,136)
    • About us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions

    Disclaimer: futureretirementsuccess.com, its managers, its employees, and assigns (collectively “The Company”) do not make any guarantee or warranty about what is advertised above. Information provided by this website is for research purposes only and should not be considered as personalized financial advice. The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendation. Any investments recommended here should be taken into consideration only after consulting with your investment advisor and after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company.

    Copyright © 2025 futureretirementsuccess.com | All Rights Reserved