Overdose deaths in Missouri decrease for 3rd straight year

ST. LOUIS (First Alert 4) -- A newly released report compiled with statewide drug overdose death data showed a double-digit decrease in Missouri for the third year in a row.

The University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL) Addiction Science Team’s 2025 Drug Overdose Death Report says there were 1,205 drug overdose deaths in Missouri. That is the lowest reported number since at least 2016, according to state data.

Drug overdose deaths peaked in Missouri in 2022 at 2,180 and have sharply declined since then.

“We have an obligation to help people with Opioid Use Disorder and people who use drugs who are looking for help,” Dr. Rachel Winograd, who leads UMSL’s Addiction Science Team, said.

The synthetic opioid fentanyl has been driving overdoses and overdose deaths for years. Winograd said there’s reason to believe the potency of fentanyl in the street drug supply went down in 2023 and 2024, and that trend potentially carried over into 2025.

While that could suggest fewer overdose incidents are happening, she said there are still “a ton of non-fatal overdoses” and that there is still demand from partner organizations for the overdose-reversing drug naloxone. A program promoting naloxone access has increased its availability in recent years.

The St. Louis region, the state’s most populous geographic region, saw a 7% decrease in total overdose deaths but still had the highest total with 542. The Kansas City area had the next highest with 314.

UMSL’s report shows Missouri’s drug overdose death rate is now lower than the U.S. rate for the first time in nearly a decade. Overdose deaths nationally have also been going down in recent years.

Even with the positive trend, Winograd pointed to more work that needs to be done.

“I will stop worrying about the overdose crisis when no one is dying from it,” she said, “but I am not naive enough to think that day will happen in my lifetime.”

In addition to fentanyl and other opioids, stimulants are also a common factor in overdose deaths.

UMSL’s yearly report relies on Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services data. The department’s overdose dashboard has more information on fatal and non-fatal overdoses.

You can read UMSL’s full report here. Anyone in the state can request naloxone online here.