Substance use is a serious concern in Georgia, though the state’s overdose rate is below the national average. Fentanyl drives most deaths, and the numbers have been falling. Key figures:

• 2,505 drug overdose deaths in 2023.
• 22.9 overdose deaths per 100,000 people in 2023, below the national average.
• 65.4% of overdoses involved fentanyl.
• Overdose deaths fell about 22% in 2024.
• Opioid deaths have risen sharply since 2010, from prescription opioids to heroin to fentanyl, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health.
• Fentanyl is now the leading driver of overdose deaths.

Georgia’s crisis followed the national arc: prescription opioids in the early 2010s, then heroin, then fentanyl. The state’s overdose rate has stayed below the national average, and deaths have been falling since 2023.

Georgia has not adopted full Medicaid expansion, so many low-income adults without dependents fall into a coverage gap. The state’s Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) oversees substance use services. Of the 240 facilities listed below, 138 accept Medicaid.