(COLORADO) — While national numbers show a decrease in drug overdose deaths across the United States, Colorado’s numbers remain flat as the state continues to battle fentanyl’s deadly grip.
“Colorado hasn’t released the 2024 numbers yet, so the last numbers from the state are from 2023 and that was 1,865 Coloradans who died from drug overdoses,” said Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Pullen of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Rocky Mountain Field Division (DEA RMFD).
According to Pullen, over a three-year period, from 2021, 2022, and 2023, the average was over 1,800 people in the state who died every single year. That means, roughly five people died every single day from a drug overdose.
“Of those five every day, roughly three of those five are from fentanyl overdoses,” Pullen said.
While the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows a 24% decline in drug overdose deaths across the United States for 2024, Pullen said there is still a lot of work that needs to be done.
A big reason for the decline in overdose deaths, according to Pullen, is the use of Naloxone, or Narcan by first responders and others. “We are even seeing hardcore users that carry Naloxone in the event that they start to go down, their friend can administer Naloxone to them and they can bring them back to life, essentially,” he said.
As far as pills confiscated by the DEA RMFD this year, here’s what Pullen had to say: “We’ve seized hundreds of thousands of pills this calendar year alone, in fact, we’ve probably seized more drugs in the last six weeks than we did in the previous three months,” he said. “A part of that is our increased focus and sense of urgency that the new administration has asked us to do and the other part is that drug traffickers aren’t going to stop.”
Pullen said they are seeing an increase in not only fentanyl seizures but meth seizures too along with a resurgence of cocaine coming into the state.
This weekend, an hourlong Nexstar special titled: “The Next Generation: Breaking Fentanyl’s Grip,” will air on FOX21 and SOCO CW. The special will focus on five families impacted by fentanyl, you can watch it on Sunday, March 30 at 5 p.m. on FOX21 and then at 9 p.m. on SOCO CW.
