After pandemic explosion, California drug overdose deaths are falling fast

For nine straight months, overdose deaths in California have been on a rapid decline, a remarkable reversal following an explosion of drug fatalities during the pandemic.

Experts speculate the drop, which mirrors the nationwide trend, could be due to a combination of factors: expanded treatment and intervention efforts, recent crackdowns on the illicit opioid trade and less lethal pills on the street — or simply because the overdose epidemic has passed its inevitable peak.

“The big caveat is that nobody knows...