内容摘要：, which was sparked a decade ago by the fatal shooting of Michael Brown by police in Ferguson, Missouri.

, which was sparked a decade ago by the fatal shooting of Michael Brown by police in Ferguson, Missouri.

An estimated 80,000 people died from overdoses last year, according to provisionalreleased Wednesday. That’s down 27% from the 110,000 in 2023.

The CDC has been collecting comparable data for 45 years. The previous largest one-year drop was 4% in 2018, according to the agency’s National Center for Health Statistics.All but two states saw declines last year, with Nevada and South Dakota experiencing small increases. Some of the biggest drops were in Ohio, West Virginia and other states that have been hard-hit in the nation’s decades-long overdose epidemic.Experts say more research needs to be done to understand what drove the reduction, but they mention several possible factors. Among the most cited:

— Increased availability of the overdose-reversing drug naloxone.— Expanded addiction

— The growing impact of billions of dollars in opioid lawsuit settlement money.

— The number of at-risk Americans is shrinking, after waves of deaths in older adults and aThe U.S.-based LGBTQ advocacy group GLAAD called on the new pontiff to “build on the progress” made by his predecessor.

“The Roman Catholic Church stands on the threshold of a hopeful and inclusive new chapter. With Pope Leo XIV’s leadership, there is an extraordinary opportunity to inspire billions around the world and further embrace LGBTQ people with compassion, dignity, and love,” GLADD president and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said in a statement.Crary reported from New York. Barry reported from Soave, Italy. Nicole Winfield contributed.

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