In January, a [study in Science](https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aea6130) documented a supply shock in the illicit fentanyl market: declining purity in seized drugs, fewer seizures overall, and even complaints on social media about fentanyl becoming harder to find. The decline showed up simultaneously in Canada, ruling out US-specific explanations like changes in policing or treatment access.
State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System (SUDORS): This system collects comprehensive data on unintentional and undetermined intent drug overdose deaths, including toxicology, scene findings, and autopsy reports from 47 states and the District of Columbia.
Provisional Drug Overdose Data: The CDC provides monthly, provisional data on drug overdose deaths, including synthetic opioids (such as fentanyl), to identify trends within 4-5 months.
Drug Overdose Surveillance and Epidemiology (DOSE) System: This system tracks nonfatal, suspected drug overdoses using emergency department data.
Slow_drift412 on
As someone in recovery, the quality of fentanyl available took a massive nosedive around the summer of 2024. Myself, as well as many others managed to get clean around that time (didn’t have much of a choice tbh, at that point you were basically handing money away for free with how low quality some of the stuff going around was). There was some weird shit being cut into stuff that started popping up around then.
No_Butterfly_6521 on
This chart seems like good news but is slightly misleading.
I live in Philly and my wife works with many active drug users in a medical setting. The addicts in Kensington have moved onto newer drugs, so while fentanyl might be declining, there are different intravenous drugs that have absolutely outstripped it and are sometimes deadlier (Tranq and Medetomidine in particular)
anteater_x on
Kratom popularity goes up, opiate deaths go down.
Reagalan on
I’m still of the opinion that if the original opiate crackdown of the late 2000s never occurred, then these overdose deaths would have been avoided.
Oxycontin was never *this* deadly.
aijODSKLx on
Someone show this to the dumbass I used to follow on IG who keeps posting this with no axes and claiming that the drop starts on the day Trump took office. Of course, I would but he blocked me when I explained that Iranians celebrating Khamenei’s death does not justify starting a war.
ArbitraryOrder on
Biden solves the problem then Trump takes credit
ThisIsPaulDaily on
During peak lockdown my downstairs neighbor relapsed and died of an OD while his pregnant girlfriend was out.
I borded a plane with a woman who was incontrolably sobbing and found she was where I was for her brother’s graduation and found out her husband relapsed and OD’d and they had a kid too.
2020/2021 was a tough time for a lot of people.
jpoolio on
A lot of the “fentanyl” is now Tranq, which is not an opioid so is it included in the numbers?
Unfortunately, it is even more addictive and has even a worse withdrawal. Street addicts avoid rehab because we don’t have the medications to alleviate withdrawal symptoms. Tranq will eat away at your skin until you can see the bone.
There are seven live police cameras on Kenningson Ave (and two on Skidrow) that broadcast on YouTube. One of them has someone actually manning the camera 24/7 and will follow people, zoom in, and even has sound. Absolutely horrifying and will pull your heart from your chest. Discovered it on accident and its hard to unsee.
ArgonLoL on
Wow this is so useful was just having a discussion with someone about this
bullfrogftw on
Fuckin’ 2020 strikes again, Jesus look at that spike
Barchizer on
Harm reduction tools and communities are more accessible than ever, narcan is available for purchase otc and a lot of users have switched to much safer alternatives like kratom and 7oh (I’m sure I’m going to hear all about this hot take).
ned23943 on
What ICD-10 codes did you use?
Wiseoloak on
Why bother saying OH someone is going to take credit soon when this data only goes to 2025. Some of you are so blinded with hate that you can’t just be happy that this horrible situation is finally getting better.
Redrum8608 on
It’s weird seeing people you knew reported as a number on a chart.
HalfSoul30 on
My sister ODed from it sep 2022. Fuck
GenerationofWinter on
From what I’ve heard, a lot of the drug market has moved to Europe
Tall_Towel_3420 on
Fentanyl’s been replaced with Nitazenes
washheightsboy3 on
So let me see if I can interpret this. In 2024 the numbers crashed because everyone expected Trump to win the election and as we all know he’s hard on crime. Users and dealers were scared straight. Then in late 2024 it looked like the dems might cheat and steal the election so abuse spiked under sleepy Joe and the wide open border Hunter’s laptop. Then when Trump won, everyone was scared straight again and didn’t need drugs any more after so much winning. And all the drugs were blown up on those speed boats. Also MAHA inspired them and the ballroom gave everyone something to live for. Hope I’m close. /s
Traditional_Ad9040 on
Try overlaying this graph with the disbursement of federal stimulus dollars to individuals during COVID.
PapiSurane on
Are people in this sub just allergic to good news?
Bbbbhazit on
Will be curious to see the numbers after Trump term 2.0 it
ya-reddit-acct on
1. Is there such data for homeless deaths in the US?
2. If “1.” – could the info be then associated (ratio of total) with the fentanyl as one of the causes?
rPoliticsModsBlowMe on
Does this include the 300 million deaths the trump admin claims they prevented?
TinyCube29 on
I hate how many of us knew at least one of these people
![Monthly fentanyl deaths in the US [OC]](https://www.byteseu.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/lc5tididk7ng1-1024x799.jpeg "Monthly fentanyl deaths in the US [OC]")
29 Comments
In January, a [study in Science](https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aea6130) documented a supply shock in the illicit fentanyl market: declining purity in seized drugs, fewer seizures overall, and even complaints on social media about fentanyl becoming harder to find. The decline showed up simultaneously in Canada, ruling out US-specific explanations like changes in policing or treatment access.
The most likely cause, according to the study, is that China cracked down on exports of fentanyl precursor chemicals, the raw ingredients that Mexican cartels use to manufacture the drug. That crackdown came out of sustained diplomatic pressure from the Biden administration, culminating in a [formal agreement at the Biden-Xi summit](https://www.brookings.edu/articles/us-china-relations-and-fentanyl-and-precursor-cooperation-in-2024/) in November 2023. As Jeffrey Prescott of the Carnegie Endowment [wrote](https://carnegieendowment.org/emissary/2026/01/fentanyl-china-us-deaths-foreign-policy-outcomes?lang=en), “Foreign policy outcomes can be hard to measure. This one isn’t.”
More details about this trend are in the [blog post here](https://blog.waldrn.com/p/fentanyl-deaths-keep-falling).
Tools: R and d3.js. Code at https://github.com/dawaldron/fentanyl-deaths
Source: CDC WONDER and VSRR drug overdose deaths
Someone is going to take credit soon!
Drugs, in this economy?!
Wait we trust data from the CDC now….?
Would love to see how this data differs from…
State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System (SUDORS): This system collects comprehensive data on unintentional and undetermined intent drug overdose deaths, including toxicology, scene findings, and autopsy reports from 47 states and the District of Columbia.
Provisional Drug Overdose Data: The CDC provides monthly, provisional data on drug overdose deaths, including synthetic opioids (such as fentanyl), to identify trends within 4-5 months.
Drug Overdose Surveillance and Epidemiology (DOSE) System: This system tracks nonfatal, suspected drug overdoses using emergency department data.
As someone in recovery, the quality of fentanyl available took a massive nosedive around the summer of 2024. Myself, as well as many others managed to get clean around that time (didn’t have much of a choice tbh, at that point you were basically handing money away for free with how low quality some of the stuff going around was). There was some weird shit being cut into stuff that started popping up around then.
This chart seems like good news but is slightly misleading.
I live in Philly and my wife works with many active drug users in a medical setting. The addicts in Kensington have moved onto newer drugs, so while fentanyl might be declining, there are different intravenous drugs that have absolutely outstripped it and are sometimes deadlier (Tranq and Medetomidine in particular)
Kratom popularity goes up, opiate deaths go down.
I’m still of the opinion that if the original opiate crackdown of the late 2000s never occurred, then these overdose deaths would have been avoided.
Oxycontin was never *this* deadly.
Someone show this to the dumbass I used to follow on IG who keeps posting this with no axes and claiming that the drop starts on the day Trump took office. Of course, I would but he blocked me when I explained that Iranians celebrating Khamenei’s death does not justify starting a war.
Biden solves the problem then Trump takes credit
During peak lockdown my downstairs neighbor relapsed and died of an OD while his pregnant girlfriend was out.
I borded a plane with a woman who was incontrolably sobbing and found she was where I was for her brother’s graduation and found out her husband relapsed and OD’d and they had a kid too.
2020/2021 was a tough time for a lot of people.
A lot of the “fentanyl” is now Tranq, which is not an opioid so is it included in the numbers?
Unfortunately, it is even more addictive and has even a worse withdrawal. Street addicts avoid rehab because we don’t have the medications to alleviate withdrawal symptoms. Tranq will eat away at your skin until you can see the bone.
There are seven live police cameras on Kenningson Ave (and two on Skidrow) that broadcast on YouTube. One of them has someone actually manning the camera 24/7 and will follow people, zoom in, and even has sound. Absolutely horrifying and will pull your heart from your chest. Discovered it on accident and its hard to unsee.
Wow this is so useful was just having a discussion with someone about this
Fuckin’ 2020 strikes again, Jesus look at that spike
Harm reduction tools and communities are more accessible than ever, narcan is available for purchase otc and a lot of users have switched to much safer alternatives like kratom and 7oh (I’m sure I’m going to hear all about this hot take).
What ICD-10 codes did you use?
Why bother saying OH someone is going to take credit soon when this data only goes to 2025. Some of you are so blinded with hate that you can’t just be happy that this horrible situation is finally getting better.
It’s weird seeing people you knew reported as a number on a chart.
My sister ODed from it sep 2022. Fuck
From what I’ve heard, a lot of the drug market has moved to Europe
Fentanyl’s been replaced with Nitazenes
So let me see if I can interpret this. In 2024 the numbers crashed because everyone expected Trump to win the election and as we all know he’s hard on crime. Users and dealers were scared straight. Then in late 2024 it looked like the dems might cheat and steal the election so abuse spiked under sleepy Joe and the wide open border Hunter’s laptop. Then when Trump won, everyone was scared straight again and didn’t need drugs any more after so much winning. And all the drugs were blown up on those speed boats. Also MAHA inspired them and the ballroom gave everyone something to live for. Hope I’m close. /s
Try overlaying this graph with the disbursement of federal stimulus dollars to individuals during COVID.
Are people in this sub just allergic to good news?
Will be curious to see the numbers after Trump term 2.0 it
1. Is there such data for homeless deaths in the US?
2. If “1.” – could the info be then associated (ratio of total) with the fentanyl as one of the causes?
Does this include the 300 million deaths the trump admin claims they prevented?
I hate how many of us knew at least one of these people
So Maduro was captured in 2023??