Overdose deaths decline in Kansas, nation
There were 644 drug overdose deaths in Kansas in 2023, a decline of 13% from the previous year, according to the state’s recently released 2023 Annual Summary of Vital Statistics. However, the number of deaths remains high compared with other years.
The number of overdose deaths resulting from opioids, including fentanyl, dropped 17%, from 497 fatalities in 2022 to 414 in 2023. There were 262 deaths in 2023 related to psychostimulants such as amphetamine and methamphetamine, a 19% drop from 322 deaths in 2022.
The decline follows a spike in overdose deaths in recent years. In 2021, overdose deaths in Kansas totaled 679, a 42% jump from the previous year’s total of 479. In 2022, the total increased an additional 9% to 739 deaths. The 2023 drop was the first year-over-year reduction since 2016, though the 644 overdose deaths in 2023 were more than double the 310 deaths in 2016.
The state’s decline mirrors a national drop in overdose deaths. Provisional federal data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention projected overdose deaths dropped 17% from June 2023 to July 2024.
Experts and policymakers attribute the decline in part to harm-reduction policies. In 2023, the Kansas Legislature legalized fentanyl test strips and sought to expand access to Narcan, an over-the-counter drug that can block an opioid overdose. There also was additional federal support for mental health and addiction services. The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office and others also launched “One Pill Can Kill” fentanyl-awareness campaigns.
