Colorado

State Facts

1,330 Deaths, or 77% of total overdose deaths, involved opioids in 2023.1

930,569 Claims, or 5% of all Medicare Part D claims, were for opioids in 2022 – over 40 claims per prescriber.2

32.4 Opioid Prescriptions were written for every 100 persons in Colorado in 2023.3

$22 Billion was the total estimated cost to Colorado of fatal opioid-related overdoses in 2023.4


1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2024). SUDORS Dashboard: Fatal Drug Overdose Data. https://www.cdc.gov/overdose-prevention/data-research/facts-stats/sudors-dashboard-fatal-overdose-data.html

2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2024). Medicare Part D Opioid Prescribing Mapping Tool. https://cms-oeda.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=5390718d875d4c049b1ac5976a9ff083

3. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2024). Opioid Dispensing Rate Maps. https://www.cdc.gov/overdose-prevention/data-research/facts-stats/opioid-dispensing-rate-maps.html

4. Common Sense Insitute Colorado (2024). Colorado’s Fentanyl Problem and the Economic Costs. file:///C:/Users/RachaelPratt/Downloads/CSI-Report-CO-Fentanyl-Report.pdf