Opioid-related deaths fell 59% from 2022 to 2025, outpacing the national decline
Louisiana has made significant progress in reducing opioid-related deaths and emergency department visits in recent years, while new national survey data provide a broader look at substance use, mental health, and access to treatment across the state.
From 2022 to 2025, opioid-related deaths in Louisiana decreased 59%, compared with a 46.2% decline nationally. During the same period, opioid-related emergency department visits in Louisiana declined 52%, and the rate of opioid prescriptions per 100 residents decreased 10%. Data for 2025 is preliminary.
“We’re seeing proven progress in behavioral health in Louisiana, and that is something worth celebrating,” said Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) Secretary Bruce D. Greenstein. “We’re grateful for the Louisiana providers, clinicians, and communities doing the hard work every day to improve behavioral health across our state. The progress we’re seeing, particularly in reducing opioid deaths, shows that Louisiana is moving in the right direction. We’re on the way up, and we’re going to keep building on what’s working, strengthening prevention, and making sure people can get the care they need, when they need it, because behind every statistic is a person who needs and deserves care.”
Each year, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) conducts the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) among individuals ages 12 and older within the U.S.* regarding behaviors, attitudes, and attributes pertaining to substance use and mental health. The 2023-2024 survey of 1,920 Louisiana residents measured 38 items aimed at assessing prevalence of general drug use, use of specific drugs, first-time drug use, perceptions of risk from drug use, prevalence of mental illness, suicidality, and substance use and mental health treatment. Louisiana’s prevalence scores compared to all other states and the District of Columbia indicate an average ranking of 28 out of 51.
Louisiana ranked in the top 20 on 13 items, including:
Perceptions of great risk from using cocaine once a month: 2nd
Perceptions of great risk from trying heroin once or twice: 2nd
Received substance use treatment in the past year: 5th
Made any suicide plans in the past year: 8th
Major depressive episode in the past year: 9th
Had serious thoughts of suicide in the past year: 18th
Further, Mental Health America’s 2025 State of Mental Health in America report reviews 17 measures aimed at assessing prevalence of mental illness and access to care state to state. This report uses national survey data including NSDUH, the CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, and the Health Resources and Services Administration’s National Survey of Children’s Health. According to Mental Health America, Louisiana improved by nine spots, from 36th in 2023 to 27th out of 51 in 2025. The state ranked 15th on measures related to prevalence of mental illness and access to care specifically for adults.
Louisiana ranked in the top 20 on seven items, including:
Adults with any mental illness reporting an unmet need for treatment: 5th
Youth prevalence of mental illness: 12th
Adult prevalence of mental illness: 14th
Adults with serious thoughts of suicide in the past year: 17th
Adults with any mental illness who are uninsured: 17th
“The Office of Behavioral Health is using this and other data sources to chart a path to behavioral health excellence for all residents of Louisiana,” said LDH Office of Behavioral Health (OBH) Assistant Secretary Holly Howat. “We are continuing to create a system that is patient-centered, data-driven, and outcome-focused.”
According to the 2023-2024 NSDUH, Louisiana ranked 49th on opioid use disorder in the past year and 51st on opioid misuse in the past year. However, more recent data show a reduction in opioid-related deaths, a reduction in emergency department visits for opioids, and a decrease in the rate of opioid prescriptions for Louisiana residents.
From 2022 to 2025:
Opioid-related deaths: 59% decrease (compared to a 46.2% decrease nationally)
Opioid-related ED visits: 52% decrease
Rate of opioid prescriptions per 100 Louisiana residents: 10% decrease