Lethal Opioid Crisis: Wisconsin's Battle with Rampant Fentanyl Overdoses

Overdose deaths in Wisconsin climbed sharply through the early 2020s as illicit fentanyl flooded the drug supply, but provisional federal and state data show meaningful declines in 2024 and continuing shifts in 2025. Fentanyl remains the dominant driver of overdose deaths, and Wisconsin has ramped up harm-reduction efforts (naloxone distribution, test-strip access, xylazine testing) — yet the threat persists and local action still saves lives.

Fentanyl quietly — and then brutally — remade Wisconsin’s drug-death landscape. After years in which synthetic opioids drove record fatalities across the state, 2024 brought the first clear, substantial drop in overdose deaths in several years. That welcome shift, reflected in both national provisional data and local reporting, coincides with wider naloxone access, increased drug-checking, and new state programs — but fentanyl and adulterants like xylazine still make every untested dose dangerous. This update summarizes where Wisconsin stands in early 2026 and what people, families, and communities can do now.

• Wisconsin recorded 1,415 opioid overdose deaths in 2023 (finalized historical series). That figure was part of a multi-year surge that began around 2019–2021 as fentanyl replaced heroin and prescription opioids in many illicit markets.

• Provisional federal data show a sharp national decline in overdose deaths in 2024 (roughly a 27% drop nationally), and Wisconsin was among the states that experienced declines of about 35% or more for the 12-month period ending in late 2024. Local county dashboards and medical examiner reports reflect similar downward shifts in 2024, though final state tallies will always lag provisional counts.

• Wisconsin DHS continues to track suspected nonfatal overdose signals (ambulance runs, naloxone administrations) in monthly reports and publishes county-level dashboards; those operational metrics remain essential because they show where overdoses are still happening in near-real time. (DHS monthly suspected overdose reports and data files are updated into 2025–early 2026.)

What changed — and what didn’t

Reasons for the 2024 decline (likely contributors):

• Wider distribution of naloxone (state and local programs), expanded outreach, and more training for first responders and community organizations. Wisconsin has distributed hundreds of thousands of naloxone doses to community groups and providers since 2019.

• Increased availability of drug-checking tools and harm-reduction services (test strips, outreach) that let people detect fentanyl and xylazine in the supply before taking a dose. Several harm-reduction programs and statewide initiatives mail or distribute test strips to residents.

  
  

• Changes in the illicit supply chain and enforcement efforts may have temporarily reduced the most lethal mixes in some places — but supply trends are volatile and can change rapidly.

  
  

What hasn’t changed:

• Fentanyl remains the leading cause of opioid overdose deaths in Wisconsin and nationwide. Even with declines in total deaths, fentanyl’s presence in non-opioid drugs (cocaine, meth) continues to cause unexpected overdoses.

  
  

  New policy and public-health moves (2024–2025 highlights)

  
  

  • The Wisconsin Department of Health Services expanded free naloxone and test-strip distribution, and in 2025 DHS reported distributing hundreds of thousands of naloxone doses to community organizations for free since 2019. DHS also moved to renew and scale drug-checking resources, including xylazine test strips, reflecting concern about non-opioid adulterants.

  • Local counties and nonprofits have installed naloxone vending machines, mail-order programs, and outreach campaigns to get reversal medication and test strips into the hands of people who need them.

  
  

  Harm-reduction advice you can post and share (actionable, non-judgmental)

  
  

  1. Always carry naloxone and learn how to use it. Many community programs will give it free or low-cost. (DHS lists distribution locations; local health departments can help.)

  2. Test every batch: use fentanyl (and xylazine) test strips where available. Remember: a negative test does not guarantee safety — limits exist depending on how a test is used and what is present.

  3. Don’t use alone — if you must use, have someone trained in naloxone nearby or use services like overdose prevention hotlines (use of buddy systems and “check-in” calls/texts).

  4. Seek treatment: medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) such as buprenorphine and methadone reduce overdose risk and improve outcomes. Local clinics and telemedicine options can help people get started.

  5. Share resources: publish local naloxone pickup sites, mobile outreach schedules, and county overdose dashboards on your site to make help easy to find.

     
     

  Human stories & system gaps

  
  

  While overall deaths eased from their 2021 peaks, the crisis is still devastating families and communities — especially in counties with limited treatment access, housing instability, or poor access to harm-reduction services. Corrections settings and some rural counties remain areas of acute risk; recent reporting has highlighted overdose deaths in prisons and ongoing challenges in treatment continuity for incarcerated people.

  
  

  Sources & data transparency

  
  

  This post was updated using the latest publicly available DHS and federal provisional data as of Feb 4, 2026:

  
  

  • Wisconsin WISH: Opioid Overdose Deaths, Wisconsin 2000–2023 (finalized historical data).

  • CDC / NCHS provisional release: U.S. Overdose Deaths Decrease Almost 27% in 2024 (May 14, 2025). — includes state-level changes showing Wisconsin among states with declines ~35%+.

  • Wisconsin DHS suspected opioid overdose monthly reports and county ambulance run PDFs (most recent releases into Jan 2026).

  • Wisconsin DHS news on distribution of naloxone and drug-checking upgrades (Sept 9, 2025).

  • Local programs and county pages describing naloxone/test-strip distribution and vending machine programs (example: Kenosha County).