Mixed News About Opioid Overdoses

To the Editor:

Preliminary federal data that reports a slight drop in annual opioid overdose deaths offers a small measure of hope. But it’s no cause for celebration, despite what The Morning newsletter (“Has Fentanyl Peaked?,” nytimes.com, May 21) appears to suggest.

For the millions of American families who have lost loved ones throughout this crisis — and for those who will continue to experience the traumatic impacts of the epidemic — small reductions in yearly overdose deaths do not signal the end of this public health emergency.

In 2023, law enforcement seized over 115 million pills that contained illicit fentanyl. The omnipresence of high-potency fentanyl and other synthetic opioids in our drug supply continues to drive unprecedented instances of drug poisoning in communities across the country. That’s why focusing intently on prevention and encouraging robust conversations with loved ones about the dangers of the drug supply remain key.

Instead of victory laps, we should redouble our efforts to invest in innovative overdose reversal medications that specifically respond to synthetic opioids, like fentanyl, and we should encourage states to get these resources into the hands of public health providers and community leaders on the front lines of this ongoing crisis.

Mary Bono
Durango, Colo.
The writer is the chair and C.E.O. of Mothers Against Prescription Drug Abuse and a former member of Congress.

To the Editor:

In a recent Times newsletter reporting fewer deaths from fentanyl overdoses in 2023 than in 2022, the author, German Lopez, proposed that we can speed up the decline in deaths if we “better coordinate with China” to reduce the flow of fentanyl into the U.S.