Opioid and Substance Misuse

The nationwide opioid epidemic started in the 1990s with increased opioid prescribing and opioid overdose deaths. Heroin and other synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl, led to further increases beginning in 2010 (CDC - Understanding the Epidemic).

In October 2017, HHS declared the opioid crisis a national public health emergency. Drug overdoses have been increasing both in Georgia and nationally since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Georgia Department of Public Health reports from 2010 to 2022, the total number of opioid-involved overdose deaths in Georgia increased by 302%. These increases were driven largely by fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid often found in drugs such as cocaine, heroin, and counterfeit pills. From 2019 to 2022, fentanyl-involved drug overdose deaths increased 308%, from 392 to 1,601.

Established in 2016 with federal grant funding, the Georgia Department of Public Health's (DPH) initiative focuses on combating the statewide opioid crisis. Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) is working to combat the opioid epidemic through the following Programs:

  1. Opioid and Substance Misuse Response
  2. Naloxone and SB 395, Wesley's Law
  3. Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) 
  4. Syringe Services Program
  5. Drug Surveillance Unit 

 

 

 

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Page last updated 6/24/2024