Drug deaths continue to increase in Maine, according to the latest report from the state attorney general’s office.
In the first half of the year, 258 people died from drug overdoses. That’s a 27 percent increase compared to the second half of 2019.
Opioids were involved in 82 percent of deaths.
The report notes that the increases are comparable to what’s happening nationally, and are driven, in part, by factors connected to the pandemic, including “isolation, avoiding medical services, and changes in the illicit drug supply.
