Deaths by drug overdose in the United States increased sharply over the past decade, but a small shift downwards appeared over the past couple years. Just not equally everywhere. For NYT Opinion, Maia Szalavitz with graphics by Sara Chodosh and Aileen Clarke, show the changes between 2000 and 2023 and how it has varied by region.
A set of alluvial diagrams show the change in deaths per 100,000 people in the Northeast, Midwest, South, and West of the United States. The West appears to be experiencing the tail end of the rise in fentanyl.
