Opioid-related deaths may be dropping in Maryland, but experts say larger epidemic persists

Fatal drug overdoses dropped in the first half of the year around Maryland, including in Baltimore and five surrounding counties, reversing some of the jump during the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic, a state health official told a group of treatment providers and policymakers who gathered this week in Baltimore. The data was preliminary and could change but brought a bit of welcome news during what’s been a trying time for people with substance use disorders. There is still the problem, however, of the large number of people dying from overdoses. More than 1,200 died with opioids in their bodies between January and June in Maryland. Nationally, the opioid epidemic now claims more than 100,000 lives annually.