In 2023, 510 Arkansans died of an opioid overdose. If that number doesn't alarm you, it should. Since 2016, Arkansas still has the second-highest opioid prescribing rate, but the opioid epidemic isn't just a statewide problem; it's a national one.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) declared a public health emergency regarding opioid overdoses in 2017, but the epidemic stems from the overprescription of opioids in the 1990s, long before the addictive and destructive power of these drugs was fully understood. According to the CDC, over 727,000 people in the U.S. died from an opioid overdose between 1999 and 2022.
While many Americans turn to their doctor or licensed provider for prescriptions or refills, others seek opioids from the medicine cabinets of loved ones and friends or through illicit street sources. Many of these street drugs are being laced with fentanyl, a dangerous, easy-to-make synthetic opioid. Today, seven out of 10 street pills seized by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) contain a lethal dose of fentanyl.
Despite the challenges we have faced in opioid overdose prevention and rhetoric around illegal drugs entering our communities, there's been a surprising decrease in drug overdose deaths in the past year. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, overdose deaths nationally have decreased by 10.6 percent, with Arkansas being one of a handful of states with the sharpest decline in the past two years. It's a very good start, but we still have a long way to go.
One way that we're inspiring action against the Arkansas opioid epidemic is through Arkansas Drug Take Back Days. These events were created by the DEA in 2010 to combat the epidemic by collecting unused or expired prescription drugs straight from the hands of our community and safely disposing of them. Arkansas was an early adopter of Take Back Days, starting its statewide program that same year.
Our program empowers Arkansans to secure, monitor and safely dispose of unwanted, unused or expired prescription medications at two Arkansas Drug Take Back Days, one in the spring and another in the fall. But every day is a day that we can act and take back our state by utilizing one of the more than 300 permanent take-back boxes that are available anytime.
To date, Arkansas has safely destroyed 314,731 tons of unused opioid medications. This collective effort bridges the gap between federal and statewide efforts, uniting everyone under a singular cause--to put an end to the unnecessary deaths caused by opioid-related overdoses, as well as preserving our environment.
On Oct. 26, I watched countless Arkansans participate in Arkansas Drug Take Back Day, disposing of 23,307 pounds of medication across the state.
By educating our communities and neighbors on the opioid crisis and the simple steps they can take to combat it, lives can be saved and real results can happen. A 10.6 percent national decrease in drug overdose deaths is only the tip of the iceberg. It takes a village; only together can we win the day.
For Arkansas, for families, for our neighbors, we won't stop our mission until that decrease reaches 100 percent and no one or no family suffers the devastating impact of a drug overdose.
Kirk Lane serves as executive director of the Arkansas Opioid Recovery Partnership. Lane has 33 years of experience in law enforcement and served as Arkansas State Drug Director from 2017 to 2022. He currently serves on the National Board of Directors for the National Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America.