Because opioid-related deaths fell slightly in 2024, there might be a tendency to take our collective feet off the gas, but Rob Kent, an expert on both national and state drug policy, and president of Kent Strategic Advisors LLC, warns that would be a major mistake.

“Is it a trend or an anomaly? And especially with the uncertainty in Washington, does it continue?” he asked.

Provisional data from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics indicate there were an estimated 80,391 drug overdose deaths in the United States during 2024 — a decrease of 27% from the 110,037 deaths estimated in 2023. 

Kent surmises that the reasons for the drop include a less lethal drug supply and greater access to naloxone. But he’s hesitant to celebrate the decrease.

“Eighty-thousand people still dying? If that’s success, go do some other work,” he told Capital Tonight. 

Kent, who served as the general counsel with the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, and in New York as the general counsel for the state Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS), warns that addiction care providers have been “beaten down” after years of scrambling to address the opioid epidemic, inflation and staff shortages.

In advance of testifying at a hearing in Albany on Tuesday on the impact of synthetic opioids abuse, Kent discussed two bills that he hopes lawmakers move on before the end of the legislative session. 

One bill would create flexibility in the co-pay system for outpatient treatment. 

“So instead of paying $40, $50, $60 every visit, they could pay it over a number of visits,” Kent explained.

The second bill would limit an insurer’s ability to claw back money from patients who were treated for addiction while they were suspended from their jobs prior to termination.

On Tuesday, the state Assembly Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Committee Chair Phil Steck will hold a hearing to examine the prevalence of synthetic opioid abuse in New York state and the extent to which it is contaminating illicit drug supplies.

The hearing will focus on fentanyl that’s been mixed with various animal tranquilizers, which has become common on the street as drug cartels look to increase profits.