Opioid Abuse

In October 2017, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declared the opioid crisis a national public health emergency. 

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), drug overdose deaths in the U.S. declined by nearly 24 percent for the 12 months ending in September 2024, compared to the previous year, with a roughly 22 percent decrease in the State of Georgia.

Nationwide, this marks the fewest overdose deaths in any 12-month period since June 2020, per CDC data. 

While this is encouraging news, overdose remains the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-44.

In 2023 alone, more than 107,000 people in the U.S. died of a drug overdose, with roughly 70 percent of those deaths involving fentanyl.

Statewide Opioid Task Force

As soon as he took office in 2016, Attorney General Chris Carr immediately went to work to combat the opioid epidemic and the widespread damage it's caused.

In 2017, he created the Statewide Opioid Task Force to provide an infrastructure of communication between the public, private and non-profit sectors, so we can ensure we have strong and effective tools to address this critical issue that's plaguing every one of our communities.

Today, the Statewide Opioid Task Force includes more than 300 partners across all areas of expertise who are working together to save lives.

We will continue fighting until there are no more deaths, no more tears, and no more heartache as a result of the opioid epidemic.

National Opioid Settlements

Attorney General Chris Carr is committed to holding accountable those who contributed to the opioid crisis in the first place.

By joining several national settlements with opioid manufacturers, distributors and retail pharmacies, Carr has been able to secure more than one billion dollars for our state and local governments to expand access to critical treatment, prevention, and recovery services.

The funds will be received and distributed over time. 

Additional information about the national opioid settlements can be found here.

Many of the funds received from the opioid settlements are administered through the Georgia Opioid Crisis Abatement Trust, with the first round of grants awarded in December 2024. Additional information about the Trust can be found here.