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After devastating years of record overdose deaths, Maine has seen notes of hopefulness in recent drug overdose data. Overdose deaths were down nearly 16 percent last year compared with 2022, and numbers so far this year have continued in that encouraging direction.
But the numbers only tell part of the story, when Mainers continue to lose their lives to overdoses.
In June, the most recent month with statewide data available, 47 people died from confirmed or suspected overdoses across the state. That is down from 58 fatal overdoses in June of last year. Despite the data moving in the right direction, we must not forget that those are still 47 tragedies in a single month — tragedies for the people who lost their lives and for their families and friends.
Saturday is International Overdose Awareness Day, which provides both an opportunity and necessity for everyone, including but certainly not limited to policymakers, to remember those we have lost, reflect on the ways we can better prevent overdoses, support people dealing with substance use disorder and make our communities stronger and more compassionate in general.
“It can be hard to take time to sit with the enormity of loss to overdose, but it is important that we do so. When we come together to remember our loved ones, and share their stories, that weight can be a little bit easier to bear,” Miriam Delphin-Rittmo, the assistant secretary for mental health and substance use at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, said in a statement ahead of the Aug. 31 recognition. “Together we can prevent overdose. Together we can care for those in need. Together we can grow our communities of recovery.”
A critical piece of overdose prevention is access to the overdose-reversing drug naloxone. We have come a long way in recent years, particularly under the administration of Gov. Janet Mills who, unlike her predecessor, has worked to bolster naloxone access in our communities rather than questioning its role as a vital life-saving tool. Encouragingly, there has been bipartisan recognition in the Maine Legislature that naloxone access saves lives.
For example, lawmakers have required that police officers carry naloxone on them or in their cruisers, and emergency medical workers are required to be trained in its administration and dispensation. There is an increasing and important recognition across our society that this tool is a good and necessary thing to help keep people alive so that they can hopefully connect with services and a path to recovery.
Overdoses don’t affect one type of person or one part of our society. People of all backgrounds and situations could be wrestling with substance use, and with the prevalence of drugs like fentanyl and xylazine, a single instance could turn deadly fast. So it is absolutely critical that we continue to spread awareness and allocate resources across our communities, not just when it comes to naloxone, but to prevention and treatment as well.
Efforts to raise awareness and preparation in various community settings, like the overdose awareness and naloxone training required for staff in the Bangor School Department, deserve praise for recognizing the realities of today while breaking down the stigma of yesterday.
Going back to the June 2024 overdose data, there were 202 community reversals with naloxone. That might not be a total of 202 individuals saved, because some people may have been revived multiple times, but this still represents a large number of Mainers who are still alive today, who still have a chance to get the help they need. We are thankful that they are still here, and mournful that others are not.
This is literally a matter of life and death for neighbors, friends and family. It requires everyone, us included, to reassess our past positions and engage with new, maybe even uncomfortable ideas.
For example, we have had hesitations about the idea for supervised injection sites, where people can use drugs in a safe space that can reduce the risk of overdose and spread of transmissible disease. But we have been rethinking those hesitations, and as the state government further studies that idea, everyone should be careful about letting their own personal hesitations and previous notions stand in the way of saving lives. Several state lawmakers, advocates and family members affected by overdoses are expected to push for these overdose prevention centers at an event taking place from 12:15-3 p.m. Saturday in Bangor’s Pierce Park.
International Overdose Awareness Day is a chance to reflect on those lives lost, those lives saved and the work left undone to keep more people alive.
