2023 likely marks the first time Minnesota has seen a decrease since 2018.
MINNESOTA, USA — New preliminary data from the Minnesota Department of Health shows overdose deaths dropped 8% last year statewide compared to 2022.
This is likely the first time Minnesota has seen any drop in total overdose deaths since 2018, according to a press release, and the Minnesota findings are on par with national downward trends.
Dr. Alta DeRoo, chief medical officer for treatment organization Hazelden Betty Ford, attributes the decline to two changes.
“This means to us that some of the interventions we’ve been trying to put out there are working,” DeRoo said. “In January of 2023, the DEA relaxed the requirements for prescribing buprenorphine, which is also known as suboxone, which is a life-saving medication to treat opioid use disorder … Then in around March of 2023, Narcan became available over the counter.”
Narcan is a nasal spray that can be administered to someone who has overdosed.
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