The number of deaths due to drug overdoses for the first nine months of 2015, as recently released by Maine Attorney General Janet T. Mills and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, are scary. According to the report, from January through September 2015, "deaths atttributed to drug overdoses stood at 174. The state is on pace to reach between 230 and 250 overdose deaths this year. In 2014, there were a record 208 overdose deaths.

"Heroin and Fentanyl are increasingly named as a cause of death, with 71 (41 percent) deaths caused by heroin and 54 (31 percent) caused by fentanyl or acetyl fentanyl. In 74 percent of all the cases, multiple drugs are listed as a cause of death."

In the report, Mills said, "This problem seems to have the attention of everyone but the users. I am heartened by the response I have seen from leaders in our state who all want to solve this problem ... We can and must do more. We must also begin the long effort of curbing the demand for these deadly substances by educating people of the dangers and supporting people in recovery from addiction."

Locally, we applaud the efforts of our local law enforcement, the Lincoln County Healthcare community committee and State Sen. Chris Johnson for discussing this problem at a recent meeting of the committee. Johnson is also working on implementing an addiction treatment program, Operation HOPE, which stands for “Heroin-Opiate Prevention Effort,” in Lincoln County. An informational meeting on the program is being held on Jan. 20 in Damariscotta’s Skidompha Library.

Education and treatment are important in stemming the tide of opiate addiction. We need to continue to provide both in order to prevent such scary numbers in the future.