New data from the Alaska Division of Public Health notes that there were 247 cases of drug overdoses in Alaska in 2022, down from 255 in 2021.
The statewide overdose death rate represents the number of deaths per 100,000 people.
Overdose death rates were highest among men, the report indicated.
For American Indian/Alaska Native people the rate was 78.2 deaths per 100,000, for people aged 35-44 years old it was 64.7 deaths per 100,000, and for the Anchorage area it was 48 deaths per 100,000.
Opioids were involved in 75% of fatal overdoses, a total of 185 deaths, including those involving fentanyl or similar chemical.
Psychostimulants, drugs that stimulate the central nervous system, were involved in 57% of fatal overdoses and 140 deaths — including 127 deaths from methamphetamine.
The reports were released by the Alaska Health Analytics and Vital Records section (HAVRS) and Office of Substance Misuse and Addiction Prevention (OSMAP). The data is available on the HAVRS Data and Statistics website.
