As Mainers, we enjoy an image as strong, independent people.

In reality, entirely too many Mainers are dependent on prescription painkillers they either steal or buy on the streets.

Maine leads the U.S. in the percentage of residents seeking treatment for addiction to painkillers, according to the latest report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

And the difference between Maine and the rest of the country is shocking.

In 2008, 386 of every 100,000 Maine residents 12 or older were admitted for treatment of painkiller addiction, according to the report.

If correct, that means more than 4,600 Mainers received treatment for prescription painkiller addiction, about a 14-fold increase from 1998.  In that year, only 28 Mainers per 100,000 sought such treatment.

Maine’s treatment rate, according to the report, is about three times higher than the New England region and an eye-opening eight times the national average.

The large gap between Maine and the rest of the nation automatically makes us wonder whether the numbers are accurate.  Experts say they are.

Still, there are probably some mitigating factors built into the stats.

Maine, Vermont and West Virginia have the oldest median populations in the U.S.

It has to be more than coincidence that Maine, Vermont and West Virginia also have among the highest rates of prescription drug addiction treatment.

Older people, as we know from watching the ads that accompany TV newscasts, have pain. Older people also more often suffer from painful chronic and terminal illnesses.

Opiate painkillers, like oxycodone, hydrocodone and morphine, are prescribed heavily in end-stage cancer treatment.

It also seems likely that in Maine, with a higher percentage of people who have worked in physical labor all their lives, people end up with painful disabilities, and possibly addictions.

Plus, the large number of painkillers available no doubt means that more are available for street sales.

There is also a curious correlation between rural areas and painkiller abuse and even overdose deaths.

Accidental drug overdose rates are growing the most rapidly in the most rural states.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, West Virginia, Oklahoma and Maine had the highest increases in deadly drug overdoses. Vermont had the ninth-highest rate.

In many of those states, there were more deaths from accidental overdoses than car accidents.

Why rural states?  There seems to be speculation, but no hard answers.

Perhaps illegal drugs are more difficult to obtain in distant rural communities than in urban areas.

Perhaps small towns and tightknit families are more likely to pass around prescription medications.

Perhaps rural people are more trusting and subject to having pain relievers stolen from their nightstands or medicine chests.

In any event, painkiller abuse is a growing problem in Maine, and our problem is clearly worse than in other states, even after adjusting for age.

Naturally, there is a very important role for prescription painkillers in our society. People who have legitimate pain should not be left to suffer because of the larger problem of abuse.

So, any “crackdown” on prescription drugs must not deprive people of relief who are truly suffering.

Instead, Maine must find better ways to monitor for prescription drug abuse, detect “doctor shopping” and discourage the theft and exchange of painkillers.

The problem is not only an embarrassment for the state but is responsible for a great deal of street crime as addicts seek cash and medications.

One goal of the new governor and administration must be finding effective ways to stem this tide of prescription drug abuse.

editorialboard@sunjournal.com

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