Human Progress Logo Human Progress

01 / 05
US Overdose Deaths Plummet, Saving Thousands of Lives

NPR | Drug Use

US Overdose Deaths Plummet, Saving Thousands of Lives

“For the first time in decades, public health data shows a sudden and hopeful drop in drug overdose deaths across the U.S.

‘This is exciting,’ said Dr. Nora Volkow, head of the National Institute On Drug Abuse [NIDA], the federal laboratory charged with studying addiction. ‘This looks real. This looks very, very real.’

National surveys compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention already show an unprecedented decline in drug deaths of roughly 10.6 percent. That’s a huge reversal from recent years when fatal overdoses regularly increased by double-digit percentages.

Some researchers believe the data will show an even larger decline in drug deaths when federal surveys are updated to reflect improvements being seen at the state level, especially in the eastern U.S.”

From NPR.

Euronews | Drug Use

Daily Smoking Rates Fall Slightly in the EU

“In 2025, one in six people aged 16 or older in the EU used tobacco and related products, such as e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches, every day, according to Eurostat.

The statistics office said that 20.8% of men smoked every day, compared with 12.6% of women.

However, both shares decreased slightly compared with 2022, when 22.2% of men and 13.1% of women smoked daily.”

From Euronews.

Gallup | Drug Use

Share of Americans Who Drink Remains at Record Low

“The share of Americans who say they drink alcohol remains at a record-low 54% for the second consecutive year, the lowest reading in Gallup’s trend dating back to 1939…

As overall drinking has declined, the percentage of Americans who say they sometimes drink too much has also fallen, reaching a new low of 13%. Before 2000, more than 20% of Americans routinely reported overdrinking, including a record-high 35% in 1989.”

From Gallup.

Gallup | Drug Use

US Cigarette Smoking Remains Near Historic Lows

“For the past five years, between 11% and 12% of U.S. adults have reported smoking cigarettes, including the current 11%. When Gallup first asked the question in 1944, 41% of U.S. adults said they smoked cigarettes. That figure rose to a high of 45% in 1954 before beginning its long-term decline, dropping below 30% in 1989 and consistently below 20% since 2015.

E-cigarette use, or 'vaping,' a newer form of nicotine consumption, is also essentially unchanged, with 9% of U.S. adults now saying they vape. Gallup first measured vaping in 2019, and self-reported use has been relatively steady since then, ranging between 6% and 9%.

In Gallup’s first measurement of nicotine pouches, 4% of U.S. adults currently say they have used products such as Zyn in the past week.”

From Gallup.

Red Deer Advocate | Drug Use

Canada Sees 23 Percent Opioid Death Reduction in 2025

“Opioid-related drug deaths in Canada declined by 23 per cent from 2024 to 2025, but remain elevated above pre-pandemic levels, according to data released by the federal government on Monday, June 15.

Across Canada, an average of 15 people per day died as a result of using opioids illegally in 2025, for a yearly total of 5,608. Deaths had spiked from 3,598 in 2019 to a pandemic-era high of 8,040 in 2023, but have been declining steadily since…

The government reports that stimulant-related deaths have also decreased year-over-year by 31 per cent. This progress is very uneven across Canada, with many regions seeing those deaths now outpacing opioid-related fatalities. This is the case in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, and the Northwest Territories.”

From Red Deer Advocate.