Maine saw one of the nation’s biggest drops in fatal drug overdoses last year.
That’s according to a new analysis released Wednesday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Gov. Janet Mills welcomed that news on Wednesday, touting her administration’s policies as making “meaningful progress in our fight against the opioid epidemic.”
Those policies include $4 million in the recent supplemental budget to expand medication-assisted treatment in Maine jails, a statewide program to distribute the overdose-reversing drug naloxone and expanding the state’s Medicaid program, among others.
“While we are cautiously optimistic, we know our work is far from over. We will continue to work with partners across the state to prevent substance abuse disorder, to expand treatment options for those facing addiction, and to save lives,” Mill said in a statement.
Between January and December 2023, Maine saw 605 confirmed and suspected fatal drug overdoses, compared with 2022’s record 723 deaths, a nearly 16 percent decline, state data show. That was the largest year-over-year decline since 2018, when fatal overdoses fell 15 percent from the year prior.
Only Indiana, Kansas and Nebraska saw comparable declines in overdose deaths. Nebraska saw the greatest year-over-year drop, with nearly 25 percent fewer deaths in 2023, compared with 2022, the CDC analysis shows.
Nationally, fatal overdoses fell just 3 percent from 111,029 in 2022 to 107,543 last year, the CDC found.
Fifteen states and the District of Columbia saw increases in fatal overdoses last year, with Alaska, Oregon and Washington all seeing increases of at least 27 percent. Most of the states where overdoses increased are concentrated in the West and Midwest.
In a joint statement, Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Jeanne Lambrew and Office of Behavioral Health Director Sarah Squirrell called the CDC analysis a “cause for hope.”
“But we will not rest in our efforts to prevent substance use disorder, improve access to treatment, and help those who are already on their path to recovery. There is more to be done and we’re grateful to our partners across the state as we continue to work to save the lives of Maine people struggling with substance use disorder,” they said.
Gordon Smith, the state director of opioid response, called for continued diligence in the fight against the opioid epidemic, saying preventing people from using drugs and connecting them to recovery supports remain critical to “keep people alive.”
“Although fatal overdoses in Maine may have lessened over the past year, Maine people are still losing too many friends and family members to substance use disorder and highly lethal drugs like fentanyl,” Smith said.
Maine’s drop in fatalities was mirrored by a decline in overall overdoses, which fell about 7 percent to 9,053 in 2023.
The bulk of fatal and nonfatal overdoses occurred in Cumberland (2,036) and Penobscot (1,253) counties, while Piscataquis (109) and Sagadahoc (130) saw the fewest.
Men continued to make up the bulk of overdose victims in 2023 at 73 percent, while just under half of fatal overdoses were in Mainers ages 40-59. Last year, there were three drug deaths in Mainers under age 18.
Researchers found that fentanyl continued to show up in most overdose deaths, with the drug appearing in about 78 percent of confirmed cases. Other prominent drugs cited as a cause of death included methamphetamine (31 percent), cocaine (37 percent) and xylazine (9 percent). Fentanyl commonly appeared in fatal combinations with cocaine (32 percent) and meth (26 percent).
So far this year, there have been 143 overdose deaths across Maine, state data show.
“It is motivating to see these statistics going down both nationally and especially here in Maine, affirming that our significant efforts in-state are making a difference,” Attorney General Aaron Frey said. “We need to continue our focus on reducing overdose deaths and must continue to use all the tools at our disposal with the same urgency.”
