CDC report finds Oregon overdose deaths rising faster than other states

MEDFORD, Ore. – The CDC released a report this month (February), that found Oregon’s drug overdose deaths are rising faster than any other state in the nation.

The CDC reports that just between September of 2022 and September of 2023, Oregon’s predicted overdose deaths increased by 41.5%. Washington state was just behind, with a 41.4% increase. It’s also important to recognize that these are predicted numbers due to under-reporting from states.

And this same report also shows that opioids like fentanyl accounts for a lot of these overdose deaths. The CDC’s data suggests that fentanyl related overdose deaths increased by more than 1500% from 2019 to 2023.

NBC5 News reached out to drug addiction recovery non-profit, OnTrack. Its executive director, Sommer Wolcott said in a statement,

“The impact of fentanyl across the country has been tragic. Oregon was not prepared. We were already ranked lowest for access to care for people suffering from substance use when fentanyl arrived in our communities. I trust that our legislators and new leadership at OHA will prioritize long-term investments in mental health and substance use treatment infrastructure.”

And with the legislative session still in progress, many local officials are interested to see what changes might be made to measure 110 and the state’s continued response to the drug issue.