America must not learn to live with 72,000 overdose deaths a year

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Drug overdose deaths in the U.S. fell 27% from 2023 to 2024, with projections indicating a further decline to around 72,000 in 2025.
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The normalization of overdose deaths risks treating high fatalities as an acceptable cost of society, similar to historical trends in drunk driving.
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Policymakers are dismantling effective overdose prevention infrastructure, including cuts to CDC funding and local overdose tracking.
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The decline in overdose deaths may lead to political complacency, jeopardizing the funding and distribution of effective harm reduction technologies.
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Society must confront whether 72,000 overdose deaths is acceptable, as failing to do so may result in an incremental acceptance of higher death tolls.

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