Officials supported a 6-month moratorium, but it won’t take effect until a second vote in September.
overdose
Overdose deaths declined in Maine last year, but not as sharply as the U.S. overall
Data released this week by the U.S. CDC showed a 27% decrease in drug deaths nationwide from 2023 to 2024. Fatal overdoses in Maine dropped by 20%.
Is Maine finally turning the tide on overdose deaths? Maybe.
In the first 10 months of 2024, there have been 403 fatal drug overdoses, which puts the state on pace for its lowest annual total since 2019.
Man released from jail after state drops murder charge in Portland woman’s death
The state agrees to an Alford plea and a time-served sentence for Frederick Johnson after blood testing revealed 23-year-old Bethany Kelley had a ‘potentially lethal level’ of drugs in her system.
Maine high court considers eligibility for immunity under Good Samaritan law
The justices will determine if Billy Beaulieu shouldn’t be charged with OUI because a woman asked police to check in on him after he had been pulled over for more than 2 hours on the interstate in Brunswick.
About 300 Lewiston middle schoolers get naloxone training as part of state mandate
As the state-mandated training for administering the overdose antidote makes its way to school districts across the state, hundreds of middle schoolers attended Lewiston’s training two days in a row. More than half of them chose to leave with a naloxone kit.
A generation gone: How opioids have fueled the surge in overdose deaths in the past 25 years
Drug overdose deaths have taken thousands of lives in the last roughly 25 years in Maine, also having ripple effects on the loved ones of those who died.
Matthew Perry’s assistant among 5, including 2 doctors, charged in ‘Friends’ star’s death
Two of the defendants, including the actor’s personal live-in assistant, have pleaded guilty to the charges already, and a third person has agreed to plead guilty.
Family sues Cumberland County Jail leaders over man’s overdose death
James Mannion begged for suboxone for months before dying of a fentanyl overdose 2 years ago. His family says the Cumberland County Jail should have listened.
Maine records one of nation’s biggest declines in overdose deaths
Maine, which reported a 16% drop, is one of four states that saw at least a 15% decline in fatal drug overdoses in 2023.