AUGUSTA, Maine - A law designed to hold opioid manufacturers accountable for their role in Maine's drug overdose epidemic is now in effect. The law took effect Tuesday and allows Maine to collect information from opioid makers and charge them a fee to do business in the state. The money from the fees is intended to be used to help pay for treatment and recovery programs.
Drug overdose deaths in Maine increased to 380 last year after a one-year decline the previous year. Overdose deaths have trended upward in the state for the past decade, with synthetic opioid fentanyl emerging as the deadliest drug.