Substance use is a serious concern in Michigan, though the state’s overdose death rate has been falling faster than the national average. Key figures:

• 28.2 drug overdose deaths per 100,000 people in 2023, down from a peak of 31.1 in 2021, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
• Synthetic opioids (fentanyl) are involved in 74% of overdose deaths.
• Michigan’s rate declined nearly five times faster than the national average.
• A significant decrease from 2022 to 2023, per CDC data.
• Fentanyl-related deaths declined 3.6% in 2023.
• The rate peaked in 2021 and has fallen since.

Michigan’s overdose rate peaked in 2021 and has declined since, outpacing the national trend. Fentanyl remains the dominant driver, involved in nearly three-quarters of overdose deaths.

Michigan expanded Medicaid in 2014 through its Healthy Michigan Plan, a Section 1115 waiver under the Affordable Care Act. The state’s Department of Health and Human Services administers the program, which covers substance use disorder treatment. Of the 366 facilities listed below, 295 accept Medicaid.