Let’s keep moving Tennessee in the right direction.

In 2024, 2,499 people in Tennessee died from a drug overdose. This was a 31% decrease compared to the previous year. Tennessee’s decline follows a national trend, as most states also saw fewer overdose deaths between 2023 and 2024. This improvement is encouraging and may be linked to wider access to naloxone, changes in the drug supply, better connections to treatment and care, and increased education efforts. Continued investment in overdose tracking and prevention programs is important to keep this trend moving in the right direction and save lives.

3,616

In 2023, 3,616 people in Tennessee died from a drug overdose. This was a 5.5% decrease from 2022 and the first drop in overdose deaths since Tennessee began tracking overdose data in 2013.

Deaths from opioid overdoses also went down by 5% between 2022 and 2023. Deaths involving prescription pain relievers decreased by 19%, and deaths involving illegal fentanyl decreased by 3%.

However, deaths involving stimulant drugs increased by 6% during the same time period.

To keep overdose deaths declining, Tennessee must continue prevention and harm-reduction efforts. It is important to provide ongoing training on how to use naloxone and fentanyl test strips. Family members, friends, and community members should learn how to give naloxone to someone experiencing an overdose. Research should continue to focus on the groups most affected by drug use and on treatment and prevention programs that are effective and culturally appropriate for different communities.

26,211

In 2022, Tennessee emergency departments and hospitals treated 26,211 people for non-fatal overdoses. This was more than six times the number of fatal opioid overdoses in the state, which totaled 3,826. Data from the Tennessee Department of Health shows that hospitals treated 7,518 non-fatal overdoses in 2023.

Research shows that buprenorphine can help lower the risk of future overdoses. However, data shows that only about 1 out of every 10 people treated for a non-fatal overdose fills a buprenorphine prescription within a year after the overdose.

797

In 2022, Tennessee reported 797 cases of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS), an increase from 758 cases in 2021. The number of cases varies across the state, with eastern Tennessee continuing to have the highest rates.

Tennessee's rate of NAS remained higher than the national average.

New data shows a strong connection between NAS and factors that affect health and well-being. In 2022, more than half (53%) of mothers whose babies were diagnosed with NAS did not receive enough prenatal care. Of those mothers, 38% received no prenatal care at all. About 29% of infants exposed to substances before birth were admitted to a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Most of the mothers (84%) were covered by Tennessee Medicaid, also known as TennCare.

The data also shows that 66% of these mothers reported smoking during pregnancy. This rate is six times higher than the smoking rate among mothers whose babies were born without NAS.

Reporting on Overdoses in America

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a report on drug overdose deaths from 2001 to 2021, noting the trends among age groups, genders, and racial and ethnic groups, as well as comparisons by type of substance(s) used.  

Learn More

How Tennessee compares to other states.

Drug overdoses have increased sharply over the past 20 years. From 1999 to 2023, the number of overdose deaths rose by about 520%. However, overdose deaths dropped by nearly 3% from 2022 to 2023, marking the first yearly decrease since 2018. In 2023, about 69% of all overdose deaths involved synthetic opioids, mainly illegally made fentanyl and similar drugs.

  • For 2022, Tennessee ranked 6th worst in the nation for the number of opioid prescriptions per capita according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For every 100 persons, there were 61.5 prescriptions in Tennessee, compared to 39.5 nationally.

    There were 4,257,025 opioid prescriptions filled in Tennessee in 2023 according to the Tennessee Department of Health, a decrease of 9.0% since 2021.

  • In 2022, over two-thirds (73.1%) of all overdose deaths involved fentanyl, a 2.37% increase from 2021. Overdoses involving fentanyl (mixed with illicit drugs such as heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine) surpassed the number of overdoses involving prescription opioid pain relievers by over five times.

  • From October 2017 to March 2023, over 60,000 documented lives have been saved through the use of naloxone., according to the Tennessee Department of Health.

    Between January 1 and June 30, 2023, first responders in Nashville responded to 2,883 suspected drug overdoses, administering naloxone in 48% of those incidents.

    In 2021, Knox County Health Department reported that first responders administered naloxone to 2,160 individuals, an average of 180 individuals per month, or 6 people per day. First responders administered naloxone to 7,786 individuals between January 2017 and December 2021. Over 10% of the individuals received naloxone treatment to reverse an overdose two times or more during a two-year period.

When we work together, we can make a difference for individuals and communities.

We believe that every life lost to overdose or opioid addiction is a loss to each of us. ONE Tennessee brings together health care professionals including: medical, mental and behavioral health clinicians, community service providers, educators, policymakers, advocates, individuals, and families impacted by substance use disorder to understand and adopt safer guidelines. Together, we work to inform and engage each other to prevent and address opioid misuse, addiction, and overdose in our communities and across our state.