CHARLESTON — Provisional drug overdose deaths in West Virginia continue to follow national trends downward since peaking during the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the Office of Drug Control Policy in the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Services, there was a 36% decrease in estimated drug overdose deaths when comparing numbers from January through May 2024 to the same five-month time period in 2023.

Gov. Jim Justice first announced the drug overdose death decrease Tuesday afternoon during his weekly administration briefing at the State Capitol Building.

“We’re happy to announce that West Virginia has achieved a remarkable 36% decrease in overdose deaths…really, really great stuff there,” Justice said.

When factoring in pending drug overdose death cases, the five-month decrease compared to the previous year drops to 28%, following a national trend in drug overdose deaths peaking during the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Looking at a 12-month period ending in June 2024, the Office of Drug Control Policy said drug overdose deaths in West Virginia decreased by 18.52% compared to the previous 12-month period, surpassing the national decline in drug overdose deaths during the same 12-month period of 14.5%.

“This continued reduction in overdose deaths is promising and we are amplifying our efforts,” said Dr. Stephen Loyd, the director of the Office of Drug Control Policy. “The fight to save lives is ongoing, and while we’ve made notable strides, our work is far from over. We will continue to expand access to life-saving tools like naloxone, comprehensive treatment programs and critical resources to keep pushing these numbers lower.”

According to the most recent data on the Office of Drug Control Policy Data Dashboard, there were an estimated 1,069 drug overdose deaths in August, down from 1,440 estimated drug overdose deaths in August 2023, a 25.8% decrease in provisional drug overdose deaths.

“We are proud of the headway we’ve made as it’s a testament to the efforts of our dedicated teams, community partners, and health care providers,” said Christina Mullins, Health and Human Services deputy secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders. “Every life saved reinforces our commitment to enhancing and expanding prevention and treatment services across the state.”

According to previous statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, West Virginia experienced 1,335 confirmed overdose deaths in 2022. For perspective, overdose deaths between 2017 and 2022 increased by more than 55%, overdose deaths between 2010 and 2022 increased by 135%, and overdose deaths between 1999 and 2022 increased by 1,690%.