TALLAHASSEE, fla. — A new state-wide report released by Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody Thursday reveals a promising downward trend in opioid-related deaths.
According to the latest Florida Medical Examiners Drugs Identified in Deceased Persons Report, there were nearly 800 fewer deaths in 2023 connected to opioid use than in 2022.
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The drug that caused the most deaths statewide was fentanyl, directly killing 453 people in Jacksonville.
It was followed by cocaine and methamphetamine.
Still, the report shows Florida ahead in the drug fight nationally. Fentanyl detection dropped 11%, compared to 2% nationwide during that same time period. Fentanyl-occurrence in deceased Floridians peaked in 2021.
“This is very encouraging news. Florida is fighting hard to stop the flow of Mexican fentanyl into our state. Law enforcement officers are on the front lines of this fight, and we are finding innovative ways to target fentanyl traffickers and rescue people who overdose – putting them on a path to recovery,” said Moody.
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Overall, drug-related deaths dropped by 5 percent, or 794.
The Attorney General attributes this continuing downward trend to crackdowns on fentanyl dealers and an increase in access to naloxone - an opioid-reversal drug.
Read: GBI: Suspect shot by officer in Camden County triple shooting
Read: Man arrested, charged in Nassau County woman’s fentanyl overdose death
Read: Florida governor signs law creating new penalties for exposing first responders to fentanyl
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