Overdose Deaths Dropped in U.S. in 2023 for First Time in Five Years NYT: Science By: Jan Hoffman 15 May 2024 at 11:40 Preliminary numbers show a nearly 4 percent decrease in deaths from opioids, largely fentanyl, but a rise in deaths from meth and cocaine. ยฉ Erin Schaff/The New York TimesEmpty cartridges of Kloxxado, a naloxone nasal spray that is twice as concentrated as Narcan, lay on the street after being used to revive a man in Portland, Ore., last year.