Decreased Opioid Prescribing Not a Silver Bullet for Reducing Overdose Deaths

By Myles Starr

Opioid prescribing has fallen by nearly 50% over the past 10 years. However, opioid-related overdose deaths continue to increase, fueled by polysubstance abuse, counterfeit fentanyl and xylazine in the drug supply, and drug policies that continue to treat addiction as a crime rather than an illness, according to a new report from the American Medical Association (AMA).  

The AMA’s “2023 Overdose Epidemic Report” outlines up-to-date strategies that public