Every day, six people in Massachusetts lose their lives to drug overdoses. In 2022, Boston alone recorded 352 opioid-related deaths, marking a 36% increase since 2019.
Over the past 20 years, more than 20,000 Massachusetts residents have died from drug overdoses. In recent years, an increasingly contaminated drug supply has been a major driver of these tragedies. Policies and systemic issues, such as the policing of drug use, limited access to effective treatment, and the housing affordability crisis, have made the overdose crisis worse for communities of color, gender minorities, and other historically marginalized populations.
In response, the Massachusetts Senate passed legislation on July 30, 2024, aimed at expanding support for residents coping with substance use disorders. The goal is to reduce the devastating toll of the opioid crisis, which claims thousands of lives every year.
On a positive note, roughly 10,000 people in Boston receive training each year on how to administer naloxone, a life-saving medication that can reverse opioid overdoses.