Arizona’s opioid death toll has finally stopped climbing, but health officials say the fentanyl-driven crisis that kills about 1,900 a year is only changing shape —not going away.

State data show 1,927 opioid overdose deaths in 2022 and 1,928 in 2023, essentially a plateau after a decade of increases. Nearly all of the 2022 deaths, more than 97%, involved fentanyl or other synthetic opioids, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services .

“The opioid overdose data serves as a sobering reminder of the challenges faced by Arizona in combating opioid deaths and overdoses,” said Celia Nabor, assistant director for prevention services at the department.

The plateau comes as Arizona has poured resources into prevention. The state reports opioid prescriptions fell about 23% between

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