ATLANTA — New numbers from Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control show a decline in Opioid overdose deaths in the United States.

There were about 97,000 overdose deaths in the 12-month period that ended June 30, according to provisional CDC released on Wednesday.

That’s down 14% from the estimated 113,000 for the previous 12-month period. Numbers are also is down 18% in Georgia. In the latest CDC data, overdose death reports are down in 45 states.

Brandon Marshall, a Brown University researcher in Providence, RI says that marks the first significant drop in overdoses since the 1990s.

“I think there is real reason for hope that we might finally be seeing a reversal of the drug overdose crisis,” said Marshall.

The availability of the overdose-reversing drug naloxone, and addiction treatments such as buprenorphine have helped with the decline.

Marshall says a major reason for the decline is the “greatly expanded access to overdose-reversal drugs.”