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Report: Unintentional drug overdose deaths fell 5% in 2022

By Staff report

December 16, 2023 5:26 PM

The number of Ohioans dying from unintentional drug overdoses dropped 5% in 2022 as the national number climbed slightly at 1%, according to the Ohio Department of Health’s 2022 Ohio Unintentional Drug Overdose Report released Friday.

Ohio’s 4,915 unintentional drug overdose deaths in 2022 follows the state’s record total 5,174 unintentional drug overdose deaths in 2021.

“While the numbers headed in the right direction last year, they are no cause for celebration,” said ODH Director Bruce Vanderhoff, M.D., MBA. “Tragically, thousands of Ohioans are still dying from substance use disorders. I urge Ohioans to do what they can to prevent these deaths, from learning how to use naloxone to knowing where to turn for help for you or a loved one in need.”

Other highlights from the report include:

In 2022, illicit fentanyl or fentanyl analogs were involved in 81% of unintentional drug overdose deaths in Ohio, often in combination with other drugs.
From 2021 to 2022, unintentional drug overdose deaths involving heroin had the largest decrease (-43%), followed by deaths involving benzodiazepines (-16%).
From 2021 to 2022, unintentional drug overdose deaths involving stimulant drug categories had the largest increases.
In 2022, Black non-Hispanic males continued to have the highest rate of unintentional drug overdose deaths in Ohio compared with other sex and race/ethnicity groups.