GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) -- For years, fentanyl has maintained its position as the nation's single deadliest drug, stalking the streets of America. But there are signs of progress in the fight against fentanyl as deadly overdoses decline in Michigan and nationwide.
According to the Kent County Medical Examiner's office, fentanyl killed 29 people in the first six months of 2024.
A final tally for 2024 is not yet available because results of toxicology tests are still pending in some cases. Still, it appears there were significantly fewer fatalities in 2024 than in the drug's deadliest year, 2022, in which 89 people died from fentanyl in Kent County, according to the medical examiner's office.
In 2023, deadly fentanyl overdoses in Kent County decreased to 62, and 2024 deaths could be even lower.
The steady decline is likely due to harm reduction efforts, like the widespread distribution of naloxone, the overdose reversal drug.
Fentanyl test strips are increasingly available too, allowing people to check their drugs for fentanyl before they ingest them.
Stepped up enforcement and increased public awareness played roles as well.
"We do believe the message is getting out there about fentanyl," said Derek Ress, assistant special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration's Grand Rapids office. "We're also getting the word out with our One Pill Can Kill initiative. ... The message we're getting out there to high schoolers: 'You've got something that looks like Xanax or oxy -- potentially, it's fentanyl. If you've got something that looks like Adderall, it's potentially meth. You never know what's going to be in there.'"
The state is reporting a decline in deadly fentanyl overdoses too, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services: