Substance use is a concern in Kansas, though the state saw one of the biggest overdose death declines in the nation in 2023. Fentanyl drives most of the deaths. Key figures:

• Overdose deaths declined 15% or more in 2023, one of the biggest drops in the nation, according to the CDC.
• Fentanyl accounts for over half of all overdose fatalities.
• Overdose deaths have more than doubled since 2010.
• The 2023 decline was part of the first national drop since 2018.
• Kansas’s overdose rate sits below the national average.
• Synthetic opioid (fentanyl) deaths decreased in 2023.

Kansas’s crisis grew over the past decade as fentanyl spread, then turned sharply in 2023 with one of the country’s steepest declines. The state’s overall rate remains below the national average.

Kansas is one of the few states that has not expanded Medicaid, despite repeated efforts by Governor Laura Kelly. The state’s Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) oversees substance abuse treatment. Of the 135 facilities listed below, 106 accept Medicaid.