Opioid overdose deaths declined in 2023, Vt. health officials say
BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - Vermont health officials say new data indicates opioid overdose death rates declined last year for the first time since 2019. It comes as Vermont lawmakers work out policy differences between themselves and the governor about the best approach to keep the numbers falling.
According to the Department of Health’s newly released Annual Fatal Overdose Report, opioid-related overdoses resulted in the death of 231 Vermonters in 2023, a 5% drop from 2022 when 244 Vermonters died.
While officials say that new programs and harm reduction efforts are helping bend the curve, there’s still more to do. “The progress we have made is encouraging. It means we are on the right track, but we are far from out of the woods,” Vt. Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine said in a statement. “The opioid crisis is fraught with challenges, including a heinous industry intent on finding new ways to trap people into the dangerous world of substance use and addiction.”
Fentanyl continues to be the number one substance involved in opioid-related deaths, accounting for 95% of opioid fatalities in 2023. Xylazine was involved in 32% of fatal overdoses in 2023, up from 28% in 2022. Cocaine involvement in deaths significantly increased in 2023 -- from 48% to 61% -- and remains the second most common drug involved in fatal overdoses.
Officials say the report’s findings highlight the life-and-death importance of knowing what to do in the event of an overdose, especially if non-opioid drugs like Xylazine are involved.
VERMONT LAWMAKERS TAKE MULTI-PRONGED APPROACH TO CRISIS
The new health department data comes at the end of the legislative session, where political tensions about how to deal with the drug crisis and public safety have taken center stage
“We still have a drug problem but it’s great to see the fatalities declining,” said Barre Police Chief Brad Vail. He says fatal overdoses do appear to be waning in his community. They’ve responded to 13 overdoses this year but so far none of them have been fatal.
The state has put a lot of tax dollars into harm reduction programs, including fentanyl and Xylazine testing, needle exchanges, and the overdose-reversing drug Narcan.
Vail says enforcement is also a factor. “We’re trying to focus on the dealers instead of the users, to disrupt that trafficking in the state,” he said. But he says he needs more tools to hold juveniles being used as drug trafficking pawns, and for landlords who turn a blind eye.
State lawmakers are leaning toward a bill they say will do just that. Senate Bill 58 would increase penalties for fentanyl and Xylazine and open the door for 16-year-olds to be charged as adults in drug trafficking cases. But not everyone is on board.
“We’ve been greatly concerned about efforts at greater criminalization as a way to address a public health crisis,” said Falko Schilling with the ACLU of Vermont. Meanwhile, another bill that would create the state’s first safe injection site in Burlington is heading to Governor Scott’s desk, something that Schilling says will help. “To make sure people, if they are using, they are not using alone. That they get access to care and they get access to treatment,” he said.
The governor says he will veto the measure over philosophical and pragmatic concerns. He says it could take money away from treatment, and that the state’s hub and spoke model showed promising results until potent drugs like fentanyl came on the scene.
“It may save lives, but how many are we going to lose because we didn’t get them into treatment or keep them from using in the first place because of treatment,” Scott said.
In a session where funding is tight, lawmakers are trying to cover their bases, using harm reduction and increased criminal penalties.
TREATMENT PROGRAMS TAKE CREDIT FOR PROMISING NEW DATA
While some say enforcement is the key to curb the opioid crisis, recovery centers are being credited as the catalyst for getting people clean.
“Recovery is possible. Reach out, reach out to your community for support. It’s very hard to do it alone,” said Amanda Smith, who has been in recovery for the last four years and is now a peer recovery coach with Turning Point. She says she sees more people seeking help every day. “What we are seeing now with illicit drugs has definitely shifted to more synthetic, synthetic drugs.”
Drugs like heroin, fentanyl, Xylazine, and cocaine are the main contributors to overdose deaths. And combining those drugs is even more dangerous. According to the Vermont Health Department, 91% of deaths in 2023 involved two or more substances. “I think it is a scary time to be an addict,” Smith said.
For someone who’s been through similar struggles, the advice and guidance Smith offers can be invaluable, said Turning Point executive director Cameron Lauf. “People need to feel that they are understood. People need to feel that they are heard. People need to feel that their experiences are validated. That’s critical,” Lauf said.
The coaching program continues to see success. Since 2021, 83% of people who met with coaches in the last three years opted for more recovery services afterward. “I go out into the community just building connections and trust,” Smith said.
Turning Point’s coaching program at the UVM Medical Center ER last month served 128 people, the most they’ve ever seen. UVM’s Dr. Daniel Wolfson says he’s seen the difference the program has made. “Those folks with their lived experience are able to make a kind of connection with people who have opioid use disorder that we often either can’t make or don’t have the time to. So, having their involvement is super important,” he said.
Turning Point’s officials say they continue to develop new programs for those seeking help.
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