death rate

The decline in overdose death rates started the month after the nasal spray became widely available.

“We get really excited when we hear things like in Michigan, the overdose death rate has decreased five times faster than that of the rest of the country,” she told Salon.

The inmate population is down, but the death rate in Los Angeles County jails is the highest it’s been in at least 15 years.

She added: "When we looked at international comparators our death rates are more like Azerbaijan and Moldova, where torture and corruption have been documented."

The strategy also has weary critics who say the notion of “meeting addicts where they are” has not proven effective enough at getting people to seek treatment or lowering death rates.