After years of rising overdose fatalities, new data shows a decline in drug-related deaths across eastern Oklahoma, which local prosecutors and law enforcement attribute to a tougher approach on drug trafficking.

District 27 District Attorney Jack Thorp announced this week that overdose deaths fell significantly in 2024 following the implementation of a new program that treats fatal overdoses as potential homicides rather than accidental deaths. “Far too many people are being killed by these poisons and it remains my mission to eradicate fentanyl and other lethal drugs from our communities,” Thorp said.

District 27 covers Wagoner, Cherokee, Adair and Sequoyah Counties. In 2023, the area recorded 50 overdose deaths. But in 2024, that number dropped to 31, according to reports from the Oklahoma Medical Examiner’s Office.

Under the new program, prosecutors and police investigate fatal overdoses with the same rigor as other crime scenes. If evidence shows a drug dealer supplied substances that led to a death, that dealer can be charged and prosecuted for the resulting fatality.

Thorp said the policy mirrors efforts already seen in other states and at the federal level. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration reports that federal prosecu- tors have filed more than 20 cases against fentanyl dealers tied to overdose deaths. Additionally, at least 31 states and the District of Columbia have adopted some form of drug-induced homicide law.

The results appear to be having an impact not only locally, but nationwide. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported nearly 1,400 overdose deaths in Oklahoma in 2023. While final numbers for 2024 have not been released, early estimates show a decline both statewide and across the country. Nationally, overdose deaths fell by nearly 30,000 in 2024 – the lowest level in five years.

While encouraged by the reduction, Thorp stressed that the fight is far from over.

“There are still too many lives lost to these illegal drugs, but the lower numbers are encouraging,” he said. “My office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate fatal overdoses and to track down those responsible.”