I’m writing today from Fort Worth, Texas. After graduating high school in May, I moved here earlier this month to begin my college journey at TCU. So far, things are going really well. I’m enjoying my classes, meeting new friends, and adjusting to this exciting new chapter of life. I even accepted a bid to join Kappa Delta, a sorority with a strong commitment to preventing child abuse.
I do miss home! Life is busy, yet I remain deeply dedicated to working on End Native Overdose. I’m especially excited about opportunities ahead to support TCU’s Native American & Indigenous Peoples Initiative, along with new efforts to increase my tribe’s involvement in the project. More on that soon. I also have an exciting announcement to share in the near future.
Today is International Overdose Awareness Day: One Big Family Driven By Hope!
I wanted to take the opportunity today to post because August 31 marks International Overdose Awareness Day, a global event dedicated to remembering lives lost to overdose, raising awareness of the crisis, and advocating for solutions. Across the United States, the overdose epidemic continues to devastate families and communities. Nowhere is the impact more severe than in Native populations, where the rates of drug-related deaths outpace every other demographic group.
I love this year’s theme, One Big Family Driven By Hope. I love the graphics and appreciate the people who worked on them.
Native People Dying at Nearly Double the National Rate
According to provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 107,000 people died of a drug overdose in the United States in 2022. Among American Indians and Alaska Natives, the rate of overdose deaths was the highest of all racial and ethnic groups, at nearly 57 deaths per 100,000 people. By comparison, the national average across all populations was about 32 deaths per 100,000. This means Native people are dying at nearly twice the national rate.
60 percent of AIAN Overdose Deaths Involved Fentanyl and Methamphetamine
The drivers of these deaths are complex but fentanyl is at the center. Synthetic opioids like fentanyl are now involved in nearly 70 percent of all overdose deaths nationwide. In Native communities, fentanyl has compounded an existing crisis tied to methamphetamine use. A 2023 study published in the journal Public Health Reports found that nearly 60 percent of overdose deaths among American Indians and Alaska Natives involved both fentanyl and methamphetamine, a dangerous combination that makes treatment and reversal more difficult.
Shocking Rise in Native American Overdose (New Mexico, Montana, Alaska and Beyond)
The impact is not spread evenly across the country. In states with large Native populations, the crisis is especially acute. In New Mexico, the overdose death rate for Native people was more than three times higher than the rate for non-Hispanic whites in 2021. In Montana, tribal health officials reported that Native people accounted for 20 percent of all overdose deaths in 2020, even though they make up just 6 percent of the state’s population. In Alaska, overdose deaths among Alaska Natives rose by more than 150 percent between 2018 and 2021.
Loss of Culture Bearers
Behind every number is a human story. Families are losing children, parents, siblings, and elders. Communities are losing culture bearers and tradition keepers. The grief is heavy and it is compounded by the fact that Native communities face significant barriers to care. The Indian Health Service remains chronically underfunded, with per-person spending less than half of the U.S. average for health care. Rural tribal communities often lack access to treatment centers, harm reduction services, or even emergency responders who carry naloxone.
Yet there are also stories of resilience. Tribal nations and Native-led organizations are leading innovative responses to the crisis. The White Earth Nation in Minnesota has built a harm reduction program that distributes naloxone, fentanyl test strips, and clean syringes while also incorporating cultural healing practices. The Cherokee Nation in my home state, Oklahoma, has invested settlement funds from opioid litigation into addiction treatment, prevention programs, and culturally grounded recovery support. Grassroots advocates across Indian Country are training peers, raising awareness, and saving lives with community-based naloxone distribution.
A Time To Mourn, A Call To Action
International Overdose Awareness Day is both a time of mourning and a call to action. Native people are bearing the heaviest burden of the overdose crisis and that reality demands urgent attention from policymakers, health systems, and the broader public. Solutions must include full funding for tribal health programs, expansion of harm reduction services, culturally tailored recovery programs, and a commitment to addressing the root causes of substance use disorders, including historical trauma and persistent inequities.
The numbers are sobering but the path forward is clear. Every life lost to overdose is a preventable death. Every person in recovery is proof that healing is possible. And every community-led program is evidence that Native voices must be at the center of the response.
On this International Overdose Awareness Day, we remember those who are gone and honor those who fight every day to save lives. The crisis in Native communities is urgent, but it is not insurmountable. With resources, respect, and resolve, the tide can be turned.
Tusyi Uwi, Bridgy
