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Opioid deaths now lowest in 3 years, but still worse than pre-pandemic
Opioid overdose deaths have dropped to the lowest they have been in three years, new estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest, in the wake of a record surge of fatalities from the class of drugs that includes heroin and fentanyl during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The CDC estimates that there were 75,091 opioid overdose deaths for the year ending in April 2024, according to provisional figures published this week by the agency.
At its peak over last summer, the U.S. reached more than 86,000 estimated annual deaths. The pace of opioid overdose deaths still remains far worse than before the pandemic, when there were fewer than 50,000 fatal overdoses a year.
Fatal overdoses from other groups of drugs, like cocaine and other stimulants, have also been largely trending down. But the recent decline in opioid overdoses has driven the largest share of this year’s slowdown in deaths, which is down around 10% from its peak in August.
Not all states are tracking a decline in deaths. Several states around the Northwest, including Alaska, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming are still reporting overdoses nearly as high or higher than previous records.
National Center for Health Statistics
Campaigning on overdoses
This year’s slowdown comes as former President Donald Trump has made the issue a central part of his campaign, often pointing out that overdoses were lower during his term.
The Republican candidate has made a number of pledges to “end the scourge of drug addiction” in the country, including working with states to force homeless addicts into treatment and punishing drug dealers with the death penalty.
“Under Kamala, drug overdose deaths are up 18%. But we’re going to stop the scourge,” Trump said last week, speaking to the Fraternal Order of Police in North Carolina.
Both Trump and his Democratic rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, have also tied curbing drug overdoses to immigration and border issues.
As a candidate in recent weeks, Harris has cited past work as a prosecutor in California trying cases against drug cartels and as vice president supporting a bipartisan immigration bill that the Biden administration blamed Trump for thwarting.
“It would have allowed us to stem the flow of fentanyl coming into the United States. I know there are so many families watching tonight who have been personally affected by the surge of fentanyl in our country,” Harris said at Tuesday’s debate.
Tupperware and some of its subsidiaries filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the once-iconic food container maker said in a statement late Tuesday.
The company has suffered from dwindling sales following a surprise surge during the COVID-19 pandemic, when legions of people stuck at home tried their hands at cooking, which increased demand for Tupperware’s colorful plastic containers with flexible airtight seals.
A post-pandemic rise in costs of raw materials and shipping, along with higher wages, also hurt Tupperware’s bottom line.
Last year, it warned of “substantial doubt” about its ability to keep operating in light of its poor financial position.
“Over the last several years, the Company’s financial position has been severely impacted by the challenging macroeconomic environment,” president and CEO Laurie Ann Goldman said in a statement announcing the bankruptcy filing.
“As a result, we explored numerous strategic options and determined this is the best path forward,” Goldman said.
The company said it would seek court approval for a sale process for the business to protect its brand and “further advance Tupperware’s transformation into a digital-first, technology-led company.”
The Orlando, Florida-based firm said it would also seek approval to continue operating during the bankruptcy proceedings and would continue to pay its employees and suppliers.
“We plan to continue serving our valued customers with the high-quality products they love and trust throughout this process,” Goldman said.
The firm’s shares were trading at $0.5099 Monday, well down from $2.55 in December last year.
Tupperware said it had implemented a strategic plan to modernize its operations and drive efficiencies to ignite growth following the appointment of a new management team last year.
“The Company has made significant progress and intends to continue this important transformation work.”
In its filing with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, Tupperware listed assets of between $500 million and $1 billion and liabilities of between $1 billion and $10 billion.
The filing also said it had between 50,000 and 100,000 creditors.
Tupperware lost popularity with consumers in recent years and an initiative to gain distribution through big-box chain Target failed to reverse its fortunes.
The company’s roots date to 1946, when chemist Earl Tupper “had a spark of inspiration while creating molds at a plastics factory shortly after the Great Depression,” according to Tupperware’s website.
“If he could design an airtight seal for plastic storage containers, like those on a paint can, he could help war-weary families save money on costly food waste.”
Over time, Tupper’s containers became popular that many people referred to any plastic food container as Tupperware. And people even threw “Tupperware parties” in their homes to sell the containers to friends and neighbors.
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