(NewsNation) — Addiction and recovery specialist Richard Taite believes that being addicted to drugs in contemporary society means "you don't know better."

Taite joined "Elizabeth Vargas Reports" to discuss the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention drug statistics, which show that fentanyl-related deaths dropped by almost 28,000 in 2024 to 48,222.

"I think now, treatment has evolved to the point where if you're addicted to drugs in 2025, you don't know better," Taite told NewsNation.

"I mean, the treatment has gotten so much better. There's no reason to be addicted to drugs anymore. I think it's important to know who you are and to be rigorously honest where you are in your arc of life, so that you can make change," he said.

In total, 80,391 people died from drug overdoses

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