Overdose deaths rise by 16% in Arizona as they decline in most of US
Drug overdose deaths are down across most of the country, but Arizona is one of the few exceptions.
Watch: Drug overdose numbers are down across the U.S., but what about Arizona? | 6 mins
PHOENIX — Drug overdose deaths are down across most of the country, but Arizona is one of the few exceptions.
In fact, Arizona led the nation with a nearly 16% increase in the number of reported fatal overdoses from August 2024 to August 2025, according to a newly released Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report.
Neighboring New Mexico was a distant second on the list at just over 4%.
The number of reported overdose deaths was down more than 23% nationwide, although the true number is likely underreported as it takes time for confirmation of some cases. The CDC is predicting a 20.6% decline nationwide and 17.8% rise in Arizona once all the numbers are in.
Why are overdose deaths rising in Arizona?
Polo Ruiz, special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Phoenix Field Office, offered a glimpse into why Arizona might be an outlier in an interview Friday with KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Arizona’s Morning News.
“There’s an increase in the methamphetamine-related overdoses to include meth and fentanyl combinations. From my over 30 years in drug law enforcement, there’s no real reversal or life-saving medication for meth overdoses,” Ruiz said.
Ruiz said 90% of meth coming into the U.S. is from Mexico and the Sinaloa Cartel. As a border state, Arizona is especially impacted.
He said law enforcement has made strides in combating the influx of fentanyl pills; however, there has been a rise in fentanyl powder.
In 2025, the DEA reportedly seized more than 47 million counterfeit pills containing fentanyl and more than 10,000 pounds of fentanyl powder.
The DEA recently launched the “Fentanyl Free America” campaign, an initiative focused on enforcement and education.
“We’re not going to stop at anything, because we see these drugs killing our communities and killing our people,” Ruiz said.
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Comments
4 Comments
They're lining up to kill themselves with illegal addictive drugs supplied by organized crime syndicates. No amount of heavy-handed enforcement will ever quench the demand, and thus the profit potential.
Except for they are down in other states. Perhaps we need a new governor that can get a handle on the rising drug problem we have.
Guess then-candidate Hobbs border security plan was not all that it cracked up to be. If she ever had a plan.