RAOE Foundation

Overdose death counts can be deceptive. Just as drug-related deaths aren’t always recorded as overdoses, some overdoses involve multiple drug types.
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👉 The national OD rate is 21.6 deaths per 100,000 residents.
👉 Among youth and young adults aged 15 to 24 years, the average annual OD death rate is 12.6 out of every 100,000.
👉 The OD death rate among this same age group is 41.9% lower than the national average death rate.
👉 Men are more than twice as likely as women to die from drug overdose.
👉 Women are dying from drug overdoses at a slightly faster annual rate.
👉 Among 25- to 34-year-olds, the male OD death rate exceeds women’s by 146.8%.
👉 Opioids are the deadliest drug type; at least one type of opioid is a factor in 71.76% of ODs.
👉 Opioids kill more than three (3) times as many people as co***ne.
👉 OD deaths rank just below diabetes in terms of highest death count.
👉 Between 2018 and 2019, drug overdose rates fell by 4.6% and for the first time since 2012.
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Source: Drug Overdose Death Rates (National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics)
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Ten Evidence-Based Strategies for Preventing Opioid Overdose:
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•Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT)
•Targeted Naloxone Distribution
•Academic Detailing
•Eliminating Prior-Authorization Requirements for Medications for Opioid Use Disorder
•Screening for Fentanyl in Routine Clinical Toxicology Testing
•911 Good Samaritan Laws
•Naloxone Distribution in Treatment Centers and Criminal Justice Settings
•MAT in Criminal Justice Settings and Upon Release
•Initiating Buprenorphine-based MAT in Emergency Departments
•Syringe Services Programs
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There is wide variability at the county level in the amount of opioids received per resident. Counties with higher prescribing have been shown to have these characteristics:
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•Generally smaller cities or larger towns
•Higher percentage of white residents
•Higher number of dentists and primary care physicians per capita
•More people who are uninsured or unemployed
•More residents who have diabetes, arthritis, or a disability
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Source: CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
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No other medications have such restrictions, including the prescription drugs people get addicted to and die from. Like many well-intentioned laws, the unintended consequences are significant.​
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Michigan State Medical Society(MSMS) 2021 House of Delegates adopted Resolution 22-21, expanding access to Medication for the Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder. ​
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The resolution calls on MSMS to support the elimination of the requirement of a waiver to prescribe buprenorphine, supports the removal of barriers to the use of medications for opioid use disorder, and encourages all undergraduate​ medical institutions to incorporate education on prescribing medications to treat opioid use disorders into their curricula. ​
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MSMS policy also recognizes the importance of harm reduction strategies to reduce overdose deaths. MSMS has policy related to increased availability and affordability of naloxone as well as expanded access to syringe services programs.
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