Opioid epidemic remains powerful public health challenge, Maine Attorney General says
(Image courtesy State of Maine)
(Image courtesy State of Maine)
"It is important as Maine, appropriately, focuses its energy on combatting the COVID-19 pandemic, that we also maintain and increase our efforts to fight the opioid epidemic," said Frey, in a May 1 news release. "The data in this report confirms how significant this crisis remains. It also highlights the importance of elected officials, individuals, organizations, and communities across the state to dedicate time and resources towards strengthening our public health infrastructure, which is crucial to combatting both COVID-19 and the opioid epidemic. I strongly support the ongoing efforts of my office, Governor Mills's administration, legislators, and communities across Maine to help get us to the other side of this.
The report compiled by Dr. Marcella Sorg of the University of Maine's Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center, showed that 380 deaths were caused by drugs in 2019. This is a 7% increase over 2018, but lower than the peak of 417 in 2017. The vast majority of the overdoses (84%) were caused by at least one opioid. The report also notes an increase in the involvement of non-opioid drugs such as cocaine and methamphetamines. Most deaths were caused by a combination of two or more drugs.
Attorney General Frey noted that combatting drug deaths continues to be a priority of the Office of the Attorney General. He is a member of the Governor's Opioid Task Force.
Executive Summary
Drug deaths totaled 380 in 2019, a 7% increase over 354 in 2018, but still lower than the 417 peak in 2017. Of these 380, 84% were caused by opioids, nearly always in combination with other drugs or alcohol. This increase over 2018 was largely driven by a 16% rise in deaths due to non-pharmaceutical drugs, primarily fentanyl, fentanyl analogs, as well as cocaine and methamphetamine.
The number of deaths due to non-pharmaceutical opioids with or without co-intoxicant pharmaceutical opioids increased from 200 to 253 (26%), whereas the number due to pharmaceutical opioids without non-pharmaceutical opioids declined from 52 to 48 (8%).
The largest impacts are due to drug trafficking from outside the state. Figure 1 highlights changes in the major categories of pharmaceutical opioid versus non-pharmaceutical opioid deaths. Maine has seen a dramatic increase in the involvement of non-opioid illicit drugs in general.
This includes the more recent rise in deaths due to illicit stimulants. Cocaine deaths increased from 90 to 110 (22%) this past year, and methamphetamine deaths from 26 to 47 (81%). These drugs are usually combined with non-pharmaceutical opioids. Cocaine was included as a cause of death in 29% of all drug deaths, 34% of fentanyl deaths and 36% of heroin deaths. Methamphetamine was combined with 13% of fentanyl deaths and 18% of heroin deaths.
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