Overdose deaths and drug-related arrests in New York City decreased over the last year, yet remain high, according to a report from the Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor (SNP) for the City of New York.
In 2017, 1,487 people died of overdoses. In 2018, that number dropped to 1,400, the report stated.
The office attributes this slight decline to “strategic” efforts from SNP.
The report, from Special Prosecutor Bridget Brennan, said SNP twill continue to focus on reducing the supply of opioids in the black market, conducting investigation into opioid deaths, and investigating prescription drugs.
SNP investigations removed a total of three tons of fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine from the black market in five years, according to the report.
However, fatal overdose is still the number one preventable cause of death in New York City, according to the report. On average, four people die per day in the city due to the opioid epidemic.
In 2018, certain neighborhoods the Bronx, Manhattan, East Harlem had overdose rates approximately double the national average. The areas with the highest rates of poverty are positively correlated with the highest number of overdose deaths, the report found.
SNP also said that their strategy is line with reducing incarceration. Overall, incarceration in the state of New York has been declining since 2016, the report stated.
This summary was prepared by TCR news intern Maria Trovato.