Alaska's drug overdose deaths hit grim record in 2023, state report shows • Alaska Beacon

Alaska saw a record number of drug overdose deaths in 2023, with the total 44.5% higher than in 2022, the state's Department of Health said in a report released this week.

The number of drug overdoses in 2023 was 357, a figure determined using the ministry's data on deaths and illnesses, the report said.

The Alaska statistics contradict a national trend of declining overdose deaths reported earlier this year by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of the few states with an increase in overdose deaths from 2022 to 2023, Alaska saw by far the largest increase, according to the CDC.

Opioids, particularly the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl, were involved in most of the deaths in Alaska, according to the new state report.

About 80% of deaths last year were caused by opioids, and more than two-thirds were caused by fentanyl, according to the report. A majority of deaths, about 60%, were due to a combination of medications, the report said.

The vast majority of overdose deaths in Alaska, 88.6%, were accidental. Suicides accounted for 6.6% of deaths, while 4.8% fell into a different and undefined category.

The victims were typically men between the ages of 25 and 54 who lived in the state's urban core.

Nearly two-thirds of fatal overdoses in 2023 occurred in Anchorage, the state's largest city and home to about four in 10 Alaskans.

Based on age, most overdose deaths in 2023 occurred among Alaskans ages 35 to 44. The 25 to 34 age group had the second highest total at 75 years.

Alaska's rising number of overdose deaths has led to a number of state government policies and programs that complement a statewide educational campaign.

One state response is a new requirement that schools stock response kits containing the overdose reversal drug naloxone. This was the result of a measure the legislature passed earlier this year, House Bill 202which was signed into law by Gov. Mike Dunleavy on August 30.

The Department of Health has also launched a public awareness campaign to ensure that all Alaskans are equipped to recognize and respond appropriately to overdose cases by administering countermeasures. The campaign has one main message: “Save a life. Take naloxone with you.”

There are also nonprofit organizations founded by family members of overdose victims whose goal is to educate the public about opioids and bring drug addicts into treatment. These include the AK Fentanyl Response Project, the David Dylan Foundation and the Christopher Walden House of Hope.

In a statement released by the Department of Health, Alaska's top medical official said reducing overdoses will require collaboration from many parties.

“The burden of overdose deaths will not be solved by a single agency, organization or department,” Dr. Robert Lawrence in the statement. “Our response is to link the work done by so many along the five strands of intervention: prohibition, prevention, harm reduction, treatment and recovery. Only with strong collaboration will we be able to lead people to freedom and turn the tide on this epidemic.”