May 23, 2014

TO: Janet Mills

FR: Marci Sorg
CC: Margaret Greenwald
RE: Preliminary highlights regarding 2013 drug deaths

Number of Drug-Induced Deaths and

Pharmaceutical Opioid-Induced Deaths in Maine
200
180
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Pharm Opioids

16

31

34

39

49

124

116

114

113

105

111

115

121

124

105

101

105

Total Drug Deaths

34

54

66

60

90

165

153

162

176

167

154

164

179

167

156

163

176

Figure 1. Number of deaths in which one or more drugs were listed on the death certificate as a cause of death or
significant contributing factor. The blue line is the total of all drug deaths in which at least one drug listed was a
pharmaceutical opioid product.

Number and Percent of Morphine-Heroin Induced Deaths, with Known

Pharmaceutical Morphine Deaths Removed
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Percent

15

22

14

18

29

18

24

15

24

19

16

12

17

19

Number

12

11

26

29

36

24

43

32

25

20

13

28

34

Figure 2. Number and percent of deaths due to heroin, either alone or in combination with other drugs and/or
alcohol.

Number of Deaths Caused by Oxycodone or Methadone,

Alone or in Combination with Other Drugs
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Methadone 4
6
11 23 20 66 54 75 71 68 59 56 47 50 42 32 37
Oxycodone 0
6
12
6
11 28 29 15 17 24 38 27 50 48 36 45 32
Figure 3. Number of deaths due to oxycodone or methadone, alone or in combination with each other or other drugs