PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Drug use is a serious problem in Arizona and across the country, but new numbers just released by the federal government are providing signs of hope.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of overdose deaths dropped 27 percent in 2024, which is about 30,000 fewer deaths than in 2023.

Stephanie Siete is a drug education consultant who has been working with drug addicts in the Phoenix area for 25 years.

She said the drop in overdose deaths is an encouraging sign, but there are still a lot of people struggling with drug addiction.

“I’m still concerned with how people deal with crisis, how do they handle anxiety? Stress? Depression,” said Siete. “A lot of that is opioids.

To keep those numbers down, we must find other modalities

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