More than 700 people died of drug overdoses in Maine last year, setting the third consecutive record, authorities said.
A report from the attorney general’s office on Thursday says there were 716 suspected or confirmed drug overdose deaths in 2022, compared with 636 deaths the year before and 504 deaths in 2020.
The rising number of deaths highlights an ongoing opioid epidemic that persists despite increased access to naloxone, a drug that reverses overdose, and efforts to expand access to treatment.
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“Worsen worse by the growing presence of the deadly fentanyl, the scourge of addiction continues to reach every corner of our state, rural and urban, robbing us of our friends, family and loved ones, and harming our communities, our people and our future. “Gov. Janet Mills said in a statement. “My heart breaks with each life lost to a drug overdose, and my administration will not rest until we reduce that number to zero.”
More than 700 people died of drug overdoses in Maine in 2022.
Fentanyl was a factor in nearly 80% of the overdoses, either alone or in combination with other drugs, according to the report.
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Despite expanded access to naloxone, the number of overdoses that were reversed with the drug accounted for less than 25% of all overdoses, including those in which people survived, according to the report. In all, more than 10,000 overdoses were reported in 2022, meaning about 7% resulted in death, according to the report.
In his budget proposal, Mills proposed $237 million in additional federal and state funding for behavioral health, including increased rates for mental health and substance use disorder services provided by MaineCare, a program that provides Free and low-cost health insurance to state residents who meet certain requirements.
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Gordon Smith, state director of opioid response, said Maine’s community of health care providers, recovery advocates and volunteers are working together to help people with substance use disorder “recover, find recovery options, treatment that works for them and, most importantly, to stay alive. .”
