Governor Janet T. Mills (D) at the  Grand Opening of the New MaineLaw Building in Portland Last Month, at 300 Fore Street. (Please Visit Post Herein Dated January 12, 2023 for More on the Grand Opening of MaineLaw, 300 Fore Street, Portland.)

Following are the findings of the year-end report of the state of Maine overdose report released by the Maine Attorney’s General office.  It covers January – December 2022.

The report found that, in total, 10,110 overdoses were reported in Maine.  In 2022, including 716 suspected or confirmed deaths, for a survival rate over the year of nearly 93% for December 2022, 928 people in Maine experienced a drug overdose, with 75 suspected of confirmed deaths.

Nearly 80% of confirmed fatal drug overdoses in 2022, according to the report, are attributable to highly lethal non-pharmaceutical fentanyl, either used on its own or in combination with other illegal drugs, such as cocaine, heroin, or methamphetamine.

Drug overdose deaths have increased dramatically across the country due to the increased prevalence of fentanyl, which has accounted for the majority of the nearly 108,000 drug overdoses recorded in the US through August 2022.

“Worsened by the growing presence of deadly fentanyl, the scourge of addiction continues to reach into 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,” said Governor Janet T. Mills (D). “My heart breaks with every life lost to a drug overdose and my Administration will not rest until we reduce this number to zero.  We will continue to work with advocates, the recovery community and lawmakers to table this epidemic, to prevent addiction, to help more people access treatment and recovery, and to save lives,.”