The 380 drug-related deaths in the first nine months of last year matches the total for all of 2019 and puts Maine on pace to surpass the previous high of 417, in 2017.
opioid epidemic
Posted inBusiness, Nation / World
Justice Department suing Walmart, alleges company helped fuel opioid crisis
The suit alleges the company unlawfully dispensed controlled substances through its pharmacies.
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Posted inLewiston-Auburn, News
Lewiston and Auburn seeing more drug overdoses during pandemic
Numbers of overdoses in the Twin Cities mirror increases seen statewide and nationally.
Posted inHealth, Maine, News
Overdose deaths in Maine surged in first half of 2020
Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey says ‘the increased isolation of living through the pandemic’ is a contributing factor in the 27% increase over the second half of 2019.
Posted inBusiness, Nation / World
OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma will plead guilty to 3 criminal charges
The pleas are part of a settlement of more than $8 billion.
Posted inNation / World, Uncategorized
States says opioid crisis has cost them $630B since 2007
U.S. state and territorial governments say the opioid crisis has cost them $630 billion since 2007 and that the cost could balloon to more than $2 trillion over the next two decades.
Posted inMaine, News
Maine to launch ‘rapid response team’ to combat opioid crisis
The $3 million initiative would try to reach people with substance use disorder who are not in recovery programs.
Posted inMaine, News
Mills administration to convene summit on responding to opioid crisis
Dr. Vivek Murthy, former U.S. surgeon general, will be the keynote speaker at Thursday’s virtual event, to be held less than a week after the state announced a surge in drug overdose deaths in the first quarter of this year.
Posted inMaine, News
Maine had 380 drug overdose deaths last year, a 7% increase
The number was lower than the state’s peak of 417 overdose deaths in 2017, but it reversed a significant decline in 2018.
Posted inMaine, News
Overdose risk during pandemic is tragic reality for some families
Experts have warned that prolonged isolation and uncertainty is a bad combination for drug users and people in recovery, but it’s too early to tell if overdose deaths have increased.