On Aug. 31, 2023, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) awarded $279 million to 49 states, the District of Columbia, and 40 local health departments to help stop overdoses within their communities. The resources come from two new Overdose Data to Action (OD2A) funding opportunities and fill a longstanding gap in funding for local communities by specifically supporting city, county, and territorial health departments.

The announcement of this award comes on International Overdose Awareness Day (August 31), a day to remember and grieve those that we’ve lost, take action to encourage support and recovery, and help end overdose by spreading awareness about drug overdose prevention.

The OD2A funds will help states and communities respond more quickly, effectively, and equitably to prevent overdose death and injury.

Changes in the illicit drug supply, the continued threats from illegal fentanyl and other synthetic opioids, a rise in stimulant use, and the use of multiple drugs at one time are all making substance use deadlier than ever.

New information published today in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), Drug Overdose Deaths with Evidence of Counterfeit Pill Use — United States, July 2019–December 2021, indicates an increasing percentage of overdose deaths involved counterfeit pill use. These pills are especially dangerous because they typically appear as pharmaceutical pills but often contain illegally made fentanyl and illegal benzodiazepines (such as bromazolam, etizolam, and flualprazolam) or other drugs, with or without people’s knowledge.