Overdose deaths in the U.S. last year were down by 27% from the year before-the largest such decline ever recorded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Maine saw a 20% drop in overdose deaths last year.
Dr. Marcella Sorg with the Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center said overdose deaths in Maine are overwhelmingly accidental due to the difficulty of correctly dosing drugs such as fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine.
"You know when you're down to the equivalent of grains of sand, it's almost impossible to regulate how much you're taking," Sorg said.
Sorg said there are many possible reasons for the decline but one might be the chemical make-up of the drugs involved.
"The amount of fentanyl may have changed. We can't really measure that, but the amount of drugs that have the stimulants in them, or, you know, mixed in with them, that has increased," Sorg said.
Sorg said almost all people who die of an overdose in Maine have multiple drugs noted on their death certificates even if fentanyl is the primary cause.
Because of Maine's small population, its hard to assess any possible trends in overdose deaths through the first part of 2025, according to Sorg.
