Researchers measured the sharp decline in drug deaths starting in mid-2023, during the Biden presidency,” according to an analysis in Lead Stories. overdose deaths dropped 21% through August 2025 — the longest sustained decline in decades,” which does bolster the administration’s claims. The main reason for the rise in overdose deaths comes from opioid painkillers, which came into widespread use in the 1990s. As my R Street Institute colleagues have reported, increased drug seizures can actually increase overdose deaths by encouraging drug users to engage in riskier behaviors to avoid detection. Newspapers across the country have reported on drops in overdose deaths in their communities, with health officials pointing to its availability as a core explanation.