The Alaska Health Analytics and Vital Records Section (HAVRS) and Office of Substance Misuse and Addiction Prevention (OSMAP) have released the 2022 Drug Overdose Mortality Update.

This report is now available on the HAVRS Data and Statistics website.

Drug overdoses are a significant contributor to mortality in Alaska and represent an ongoing public health concern. This joint report by HAVRS and OSMAP provides an update on drug overdose deaths occurring in Alaska (including residents and non-residents) through 2022. It contains information about the characteristics of overdose victims, including sex, race, age, where deaths occur, the types of drugs and multidrug combinations involved in fatal overdoses, and prevention strategies and resources to help reduce deaths.

Alaska continues to experience high rates of drug overdose deaths, many of which involve fentanyl. Knowing the signs of an opioid overdose and how to respond can save lives. When given in time, naloxone is a life-saving medication that can reverse an overdose from opioids—including heroin, fentanyl, and prescription opioid medications. Help is available for Alaskans. If you’re experiencing a mental health or substance misuse crisis or are concerned about a friend or loved one, you can call 988.

Below are key findings for the 2022 update:

• There were 247 fatal drug overdoses in Alaska, down from 255 in 2021.
• The statewide overdose death rate (which represents deaths per 100,000 Alaskans, adjusted for differences in age) was 33.5 deaths per 100,000 people, down from 35.1 in 2021.
• Overdose death rates were highest among men (42.4 deaths per 100,000), American Indian/Alaska Native people (78.2 deaths per 100,000), people aged 35-44 years old (64.7 deaths per 100,000), and people located in the Anchorage region (48.0 deaths per 100,000).
• Opioids were involved in 75% of fatal overdoses (185 deaths). This includes 151 deaths involving fentanyl or a similar chemical.
• Psychostimulants (drugs that stimulate the central nervous system) were involved in 57% of fatal overdoses (140 deaths). This includes 127 deaths involving methamphetamine.
• Between 2018 and 2022, 58% of fatal overdoses involved two or more different narcotic (numbing/pain relief), sedative (sleep/muscle relaxant), or psychotropic (neural/behavioral) drugs in combination. Synthetic narcotics plus psychostimulants (e.g., fentanyl plus methamphetamine) was the most common fatal multidrug combination.

Please refer to the full report for more information.

  2022, Alaska, deaths, overdose, report