​​​​For more information, visit the National Institute on Drug Abuse website.

​​​​Opioid-related harms and overdoses are continuing to have a significant impact on people who use substances, their families, and communities across the country. In 2021, approximately 107,622 people died from a drug overdose in the United States, which continues as a leading cause of injury-related death (CDC, 2022). In Arizona, the Arizona Department of Health Services (AZDHS) tracks opioid-specific related fatal and non-fatal overdoses, the rate of non-fatal opioid overdose for Maricopa County was 46.7 per 100,000 and the rate of fatal opioid overdose was 22.3 per 100,000 (AZDHS, 2023). The estimated overdose death rate for all drugs was 41.9 per 100,000 in Maricopa County (MCDPH, 2023).

In Phoenix, an estimated 991 people lost their lives due to drug overdose in 2022. 

Fatal Overdoses: Cause-of-death toxicology (CODT) were obtained from the Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner (OME) and compiled by the Maricopa County Department of Public Health, representing all overdose deaths that occurred within Maricopa County and investigated by the OME. Data were mapped based on the location of the overdose incident. Because some addresses were incomplete, a few records were unable to be mapped to the corresponding region.

An individual may have more than one drug present at the time of death. Analytes/substances appear on the CODT report if detected, and the Medical Examiner documents a drug as one of the causes of death. Not all analytes/substances listed on the CODT report contributed to the cause of death.

Links For More Opioid Data and Statistics:

Maricopa County Department of Public Health Mental Health and Substance Use Data

Arizona Department of Health Services Opioid Dashboard