drug overdoses

Fatal overdoses declined 16% last year in Maine. And according to preliminary data, overdose deaths dropped by nearly 15% during the first seven months of this year.

Maine's Director of Opioid Response, Gordon Smith, says 201 people died in the first four months of the year, compared to 215 during the same time period last year.

A legislative committee has given initial approval to allow harm reduction centers in Maine communities that choose to open them.

The recommendation comes from a special committee, formed by Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline nearly a year ago, which focused on how the city should respond to substance use disorder and its impacts on the community.

Northern Light Health argued that the drug companies and pharmacy chains drove up the hospitals' cost of doing business during Maine's opioid crisis.

Last year, Maine saw a record 716 drug overdose deaths.

74% of respondents of a new survey from University of Maine researchers supported decriminalization for low-level drug offenses.

Recovery centers across Maine will host events on Wednesday to commemorate National Overdose Awareness Day.

From January to May, Maine saw an average of nearly 800 drug overdoses and 53 deaths each month. The latest drug report from the Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center at the University of Maine says that's an increase from the same timeframe in 2021, which saw roughly 660 overdoses per month.