Ohio bucked national trends by reporting a 5% decrease in unintentional overdose deaths in 2022, the Ohio Department of Health announced Friday.
Nationally, unintentional overdose deaths increased by 1%, according to ODH.
Ohio's decrease in those deaths followed a record year in 2021, when there were 5,174 unintentional overdose deaths.
The 2022 Ohio Unintentional Drug Overdose Report showed unintentional drug overdose deaths involving heroin had the largest decrease (43% lower than 2021), followed by deaths involving benzodiazepines (16% lower). Meanwhile, unintentional drug overdose deaths involving stimulant drug categories had the largest increases.
But locally, numbers so far this year indicate overdoses are climbing once again.
Jessica Collier, an outreach specialist with Thrive 4 Change, a Cleveland-based group working to promote safe drug use, said erratic usage rates have also happened in the past. She recalled last year, after there was a slowing of fentanyl overdoses, there was a spike again as xylazine, a horse tranquilizer, was found in drug supplies across Northeast Ohio.
Collier, who is in long-term alternative recovery herself, said people who take drugs still need better access to resources so they can use safely.
“Drug use is about us and what we have going on, and we definitely do not have a system set up to give folks the real, proper care it would take to solve issues this deep," Collier said.
Collier said there should be more support, such as safe injection sites and safe syringes, to get people who are using drugs into a safer situation.
She also warned that the state numbers for 2023 — which are not yet reflected in the current report — could rise steeply, in part because of a rise in use of stimulants such as cocaine and amphetamines laced with fentanyl.
"I think stimulants are a big part of the equation right now," she said. "I think a larger number of what we see tends to be people who weren't looking to take fentanyl, and that's what they get.”
She encouraged those who take stimulant drugs, even those who use only occasionally, to download an app that sends alerts when there are deadly batches found in the community.
Disparities widen
The new report showed that Black non-Hispanic men had the highest rate of unintentional drug overdose deaths in Ohio compared with other groups. The gap between the Black non-Hispanic and White non-Hispanic populations continued to widen from 2021 to 2022, while the death rate for the Black non-Hispanic population increased 5% to 67.9 deaths per 100,000 population compared with a 9% decrease among the White non-Hispanic population.
The report also said males have consistently higher rates of fatal drug overdose compared with females. However, from 2021 to 2022, the unintentional drug overdose death rate for males had a larger decrease (8% lower) compared with the rate for females (1% lower).
Fentanyl was a factor in 81% of the state's unintentional drug overdose deaths and often mixed with other drugs, according to the report. The percentage of fentanyl involvement with other substances varied by drug category, with 82% of cocaine deaths also involving fentanyl.
“While the numbers headed in the right direction last year, they are no cause for celebration,” said Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, ODH director. “I urge Ohioans to do what they can to prevent these deaths, from learning how to use naloxone to knowing where to turn for help for you or a loved one in need.”
