October 1st, 2025 Local News
Jefferson City, Mo. (KFMO) - New research from the University of Missouri St. Louis’s Addiction Science team shows a major decline in overdose deaths across the state.
The study found a 26 percent drop in overdoses statewide in 2024, with opioid overdoses decreasing by 36 percent. Nearly every region of Missouri reported improvements. Director of Addiction Science Rachel Winograd pointed to several factors behind the decline, with naloxone distribution playing a key role.
Naloxone is a medication that reverses the effects of opioid overdoses. According to the team’s Annual Naloxone Report for Missouri, every county in the state received naloxone products in the 2025 fiscal year, nearly doubling the amount distributed the year before.
Advocates warn that much of the current naloxone funding comes from temporary sources. They stress that maintaining and expanding access is essential to continuing the progress Missouri has made in reducing overdose deaths.
