The recent slight drop in drug overdose deaths in the United States and parts of Canada could be a positive sign, but experts say the problem is far from subsiding on both sides of the border.
Recent data show a decrease in overdose deaths in the United States—from 70,000 in 2017 to 68,000 in 2018—driven mainly by a decline in deaths caused by heroin and prescription painkillers, although there was a continued rise in deaths caused by fentanyl and other drugs such as cocaine.
