Drug overdose deaths are rising across the U.S. and Mid-Missouri, with one Mid-Missouri county among the highest in the state. Overdoses, especially from synthetic opioids like fentanyl, along with cocaine and methamphetamine, are a leading cause of injury deaths.

In 2023, the CDC reported 111,355 overdose deaths, nearly 3,500 more than in 2022. The University of Missouri-St. Louis reported 1,015 overdose deaths in Missouri from January to June 2023, with 70% involving fentanyl. In 2022, Missouri saw 1,424 synthetic opioid deaths and 2,180 total overdose deaths, according to state health data.

From 2007 to 2022, synthetic opioid deaths in Missouri increased by 1.35%. Boone County was among the top 10 counties for overdose deaths in 2022, with 55 deaths, 37 from synthetic opioids. St. Louis County had the highest with 394 deaths.

Experts report more overdoses involving synthetic opioids, often mixed with other drugs. Fentanyl, a major concern, can be lethal at just 2 milligrams. In 2022, 43 children in Missouri died from fentanyl overdoses, 20 of them under age 4. Law enforcement seized 115 million pills containing illicit fentanyl last year.

In March 2023, the FDA approved over-the-counter naloxone (Narcan) to reverse opioid overdoses. It is available in stores, online, and for free at the Columbia/Boone County Department of Health.