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According to recently released data, Maine saw a nearly 16 percent drop in overdose deaths in 2023. That was one of the largest declines in overdose deaths in the country.
Last year, 607 people died of overdoses in Maine, down significantly from 723 overdose deaths in 2022.
After years of record-setting rises in overdose deaths in Maine, this is encouraging news.
Nationally, overdose deaths dropped by 3 percent between 2022 and 2023. Only Nebraska, Indiana and Kansas saw larger declines in overdose deaths than Maine, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A recent report from the Maine Drug Data Hub shows that nonfatal overdoses are also on the decline. These overdoses declined by 15 percent between January and March, compared with the same period in 2023.
However, when more than 600 people are dying each year in Maine from overdoses, there is much work to do.
“This analysis is cause for hope for all those working to fight the opioid epidemic every day,” Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Jeanne Lambrew and Office of Behavioral Health Director Sarah Squirrell said of the CDC report in a press release earlier this month. “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.”
The administration of Gov. Janet Mills attributed the drop in overdoses to many things including increased access to treatment, the expansion of MaineCare to more of the state’s residents and the increased availability of naloxone, an overdose reversing drug. An expansion of the state’s good Samaritan law, which allows for people to call for help when an overdose occurs without fear of prosecution, and the increase availability of test strips to check for xylazine, a powerful sedative that is often found in drugs like heroin, also were cited among the contributors to the decline in overdose deaths.
The new overdose numbers seem to show that these and other efforts, especially a focus on recovery, are working to reduce drug overdoses. As we have emphasized numerous times, increasing the availability of treatment options is vital so that Mainers can access recovery options when and where they need them.
The need to continue this work — and increased state funding — was acknowledged by state officials, even as they cheered the significant drop in overdose deaths.
“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,” Gordon Smith, the state’s director of opioid response, said in the same press release. “In partnership with many organizations, advocates, businesses, schools, hospitals, and people from across Maine, we will remain diligent and dogged in our efforts to prevent people from using drugs, connect people to recovery, and importantly, help keep people alive.”
So, yes, the significant drop in both fatal and non-fatal overdoses is reason for cautious optimism. But much focused and diligent work is still needed to end Maine’s overdose epidemic.