After nearly a decade of grim statistics, New Hampshire’s getting some very good news in the fight against opioid death and addiction.
The latest data show opioid deaths and overdoses have dropped dramatically, with overdose deaths and emergency responses falling to their lowest levels in a decade in the state’s two largest cities.
No one died from opioid-related overdoses in Nashua last month, and Manchester saw three overdose deaths, continuing a trend that health officials say could mark a genuine shift in the long-running epidemic.
“October suspected opioid ODs were well below recent averages and continue to trend in a very encouraging direction,” said Chris Stawasz, Northeast regional director of government affairs for Global Medical Response, Inc.
Stawasz, who began tracking opioid overdose statistics in Manchester and Nashua for a decade, said 2025 is shaping up to be the best year yet in the fight against opioids. AMR medics responded to just 35 suspected opioid overdoses in the two cities in October — 17 in Manchester and 18 in Nashua.
“The combined (two) city total of 35 was the lowest total number of suspected opioid ODs in one month since AMR began tracking them 10 years ago,” Stawasz said. “The 17 suspected opioid ODs in Manchester were by far the lowest one-month total since AMR began tracking them 10 years ago.”
Gov. Kelly Ayotte said the drop in overdoses shows progress, but warned the fight is not over.
“I am encouraged to see a decline in opioid overdoses, but there is more work to do to fight the drug crisis in our state. We’ll continue to give a hand up to Granite Staters recovering from addiction by funding our Doorways and Recovery Friendly Workplace programs and strengthen our efforts to fight trafficking of deadly poison like fentanyl into our communities.”
Manchester Mayor Jay Ruais, who was just reelected to a second term in part based on his work confronting the city’s drug problems, credited a community effort for the success.
“Manchester’s progress shows that when we come together with focus and determination, we can make real, lasting change. These numbers represent more than just data points; they represent lives being changed and saved. I want to thank our ROAR Team, Health Department, AMR, and all our community partners and outreach workers for their efforts to make a difference in the lives of others.”
Manchester is currently at 321 overdoses for the year and is projected to finish 2025 with about 385, nearly 27 percent below last year’s total. The city has recorded 33 opioid-related deaths so far this year and is on pace for about 40, down from 47 in 2024.
“Manchester is continuing to trend toward ending 2025 with a record-low number of annual suspected opioid ODs and is currently 27 percent below last year in total annual suspected opioid ODs. Suspected opioid OD deaths in Manchester are currently 16 percent lower than in 2024 and very close to a record low,” Stawasz said.
In 2015, at the height of the crisis, Manchester saw 728 overdoses and 88 deaths.
Nashua is also improving, though more gradually; zero overdose deaths in October, 18 overdoses, and 140 for the year so far. The city is projected to finish 2025 with 168 overdoses and 25 deaths. Nashua had 184 overdoses and 20 deaths in 2024, meaning fatalities have already surpassed last year despite a 9 percent decline in total overdoses.
In 2015, Nashua recorded 256 overdoses and 26 deaths.
Experts say one major factor behind falling death rates is widespread access to Narcan, the overdose-reversing medication. Narcan is available without a prescription at most New Hampshire pharmacies and distributed at no cost through public health programs and harm-reduction agencies.
“With Narcan now widely available, it is likely that some opioid overdoses are now occurring without 911 intervention, and are not being reported due to rapid reversal,” Stawasz said.
People can also get Narcan at the state’s nine Doorway locations, which provide addiction treatment referrals, medical support, peer counseling, housing help, and job training. Anyone seeking help can visit a Doorway site or call 2-1-1.
