Maine saw more than 700 people die of drug overdoses in 2022, the third straight year that the state set a new record for overdose fatalities.
"They're not surprising," said Gordon Smith, Maine’s director of opioid response."We can make this better if we do the right thing."Sign up for NECN newsletters.
He said the state is planning to focus more on the strategies proven to prevent drug overdose deaths in 2023, including the use of the overdose reversal drug Narcan. The proposed budget also includes millions in funds for mental health, behavioral health and substance abuse disorders. Maine officials said overdose deaths have increased dramatically in Maine and across the U.S. in recent years due to the increased prevalence of fentanyl.
“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,” Gov. Janet Mills said in a statement. “My heart breaks with every life lost to a drug overdose, and my Administration will not rest until we reduce this number to zero.
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