Fatal drug overdoses in Cobb County fell to 89 in 2025, down from 121 in 2024. That 26% decline, drawn from state health data, continues a downward trend from the county's recent peak.

The numbers matter across the county, including in East Cobb, where residents have watched the opioid crisis strain families and first responders for years.

The figures come from Georgia's Online Analytical Statistical Information System (OASIS), a database maintained by the Georgia Department of Public Health that tracks county-level mortality. The state added 2025 mortality data, including drug overdose deaths, on July 29. Bo Underwood of the Marietta Daily Journal first reported the Cobb County figures on Wednesday, Sept. 9.

The decline extends a multi-year drop. In 2022, Cobb County recorded 143 opioid-related fatalities, the third-highest total in Georgia, according to a Cobb County government announcement. That figure refers specifically to opioid-related deaths, a narrower measure than the all-drug overdose totals cited above for 2024 and 2025. Separately, the Marietta Daily Journal's own reporting indicates Cobb's all-drug overdose total has declined every year going back to 2022, though this fact-check could not independently confirm the outlet's exact year-by-year figures for 2022 and 2023.

Cobb County has invested heavily in overdose prevention. In March 2026, the county distributed approximately $5.8 million in opioid abatement funds to 10 community organizations. That money came from Cobb's $15.6 million share of a national opioid settlement. During a 60-day application window, 36 organizations requested a combined $33 million. The 10 selected recipients ranged from Harbor Springs Counseling Services, which received $1,648,942, to Life University, which received about $26,800.

County officials have said a second round of opioid settlement funding is planned, though no timeline has been announced.

The local decline outpaced the national trend. Opioid-involved overdose deaths across the United States fell nearly 20% in 2025, dropping from an estimated 55,296 in 2024 to 44,564, according to the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics, as reported by Pharmaphorum.

The data leaves some questions open. The OASIS figures do not specify whether Cobb's 89 fatal overdoses in 2025 were limited to opioids or included all drug types. The 2022 figure of 143 cited by the county government referred specifically to opioid-related deaths.

East Cobb residents seeking help with substance use can contact the national SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-4357.