Not really something this dataset (which is just about # of deaths + drug that caused them) can tell you.

I'd imagine you'd need some sort of formal study of the data to try to assign why deaths are starting to decline/plateau and what share a certain thing is responsible for, there are other possible causes.

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Opiate prescriptions are falling pretty significantly. Number of prescriptions is down 22% from 2012-17, and volume (mg of opiates dispensed) dropped 12% in 2017 alone. https://www.aafp.org/news/health-of-the-public/20180425opioi...

That could be contributing to a decline in the "pipeline" of new addicts. Less people starting on them and lower doses and shorter durations when they are prescribed.

It would make sense for a decline spurred by that to not show up in opiate deaths for a few years, my impression is that most people spiral downward for a while before actually dying/ODing.

There's research to suggest that there's an element of moral hazzard that comes with the availability of Narcan.

see: https://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?stor...